Auburn
by Super Saiyan Cyndaquil
Summary: Jaune Arc, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, and Ruby Rose form team Auburn.
1. Not Dead Yet

**Author's Notes:** So I deleted the original version of my story Auburn, but I have since reposted it as well to stand alongside this version.

The way the original was going, I knew I was never going to finish it. I opened up too many plot-threads and didn't know how to satisfyingly resolve them all. So I went back to the roots, figured out what was wrong for me personally and decided to fix it by starting from the beginning. This new Auburn is going to be shorter and more focused. It also ends much sooner than the original which goes through all the events explored in this one and beyond, but this version resolves things sooner. However, I like to think this version is written a little more cleanly and is more concise.

The changes I'm making don't begin in this chapter, although I did do some touch-ups. Mostly cleaning and grammar. So here we go, a new Auburn for a new year! The Original was posted on 10/15/2014

Coeur Al'Aran was the beta for the original Auburn and helped me immensely during a period when we were both just getting started. Cover Art drawn by confections101 and a link to it is on my profile page. Jefardi is the one who finally kicked my butt into gear to do something about this story I had almost given up on.

* * *

 **Auburn**

 _Not Dead Yet_

* * *

Jaune Arc was going to die.

He hated to admit it but he really didn't see any other possible outcome at this point as every second brought him closer and closer to a, hopefully painless and immediate, but nevertheless imminent death by gravity. This wasn't what he signed up for... at least not what he thought he signed up for.

He just wanted to make the world a better place. Was that so bad? Sure, he'd done some bad things along the way; he did fake those transcripts to get into Beacon after all. However, it all evened out, right? So why was this happening to him? Why had that crazy headmaster launched them off the side of the cliff? He had so many questions but he wasn't going to get an answer to any of them if he didn't do something in the next couple seconds. The treeline for the Emerald Forest was nearly upon him.

Yep, he was dead. Jaune closed his eyes and considered just waiting for nothingness to claim him. A brief flash of pain beforehand, maybe. Preferably a very, very brief flash.

No.

He couldn't just give up here. He had so much to live for. He was only Seventeen years old. There were so many first experiences he needed to have. He had yet to kiss a girl. Before that, how about holding hands with one? Yeah...he couldn't afford to die yet. Not like this. He didn't want to be remembered as a splat on the ground that had never even held hands with a girl.

Jaune's eyes shot open and he reached for his sword. He unsheathed it and the sheath expanded into a shield. No sooner did he complete this action and he met with the top of the trees. Leaves and small branches whipped at his face, obscuring his vision and cutting his face. He treated these as minor annoyances and brought his shield in front of himself. It was possibly the best decision of his life. The angle of his descent brought him to the trunk of the tree and his shield struck it hard. If that had been his face he would've died as quickly as he had just been envisioning.

Instead he ricocheted off with nothing more than a sudden numbness in his left arm. His right flailed wildly as he tried to slow his descent by any means necessary. By sheer dumb luck he managed to bury his sword into the trunk that had nearly just killed him. It splintered bark and wood apart as it gouged a horrendous wound into the tree. He continued in a straight path down, but now it was at a constantly decelerating speed. Still going a little more quickly than he would have liked but it was no longer fatal.

Finally, his feet struck the ground. They failed to support him and he crumbled to his knees. He let go of his sword which remained planted firmly in the side of the tree and the shield fell to the ground next to him, arm no longer capable of holding it. Jaune sat there for several minutes in complete silence as he stared wide-eyed at the forest around him. As feeling began returning to his arm and legs he came to the startling realization that he was in fact not going to die.

"I survived." He whispered before breaking out into a huge grin after hearing his own voice. He jumped to his feet and pumped both fists above his head. "I survived!" He shouted to the forest, not caring who he let know. At least, he didn't care until he heard the howling of several Beowulfs respond to him. "Ah, crap!" Jaune bent down and picked up his shield which popped back into its sheath form and then spent several seconds attempting to unwedge his sword from the tree. Once his weapon was secure he took off in the direction he was sure he didn't hear a horrifying creature of Grimm respond.

Now what? He didn't bother to ask this question until he was sure it was safe. Well, as safe as one could be in a Grimm-infested forest. Professor Ozpin had given them no instructions. He told them almost nothing at all, actually. Jaune thought back to the brief couple sentences the headmaster of Beacon Academy _had_ told them.

"In front of you is the Emerald Forest. It is teeming with dangerous Grimm and as such is the ideal location for your initiation into my school. Good luck." Not a moment after he said this and they had all been rather violently catapulted off the side of a cliff and into the aforementioned forest.

What was he supposed to do here? Climb back up? He didn't mind the idea of getting out of here immediately. A beeping from his pocket brought him from his thoughts and he halted his mad dash for survival to give it his attention. He pulled his scroll out and after unlocking it saw a pending message.

It read: 'Congratulations on passing the first task. Now that you've survived your fall you are to begin your second task. Locate a partner. How about... the first student you make eye-contact with. They'll be your partner for your next four years at Beacon... or until one of you dies. Do try to pick someone you'll get along with. Complete this to receive your next task.'

Jaune's eye twitched.

He was going to murder that nutty headmaster. If he made it out of here alive. Maybe faking his transcripts wasn't such a hot idea after all? There were other ways to make the world a better place. Soup kitchen. Home repair. Taking care of the elderly. No, no, no. He was here now. He couldn't turn back. He was going to complete all these stupid tasks and become the best Huntsmen this world had ever seen!

"Let's do this!" Jaune declared to himself as he punched his own chest, mindful enough to not be too loud. He didn't want to attract more Grimm. Now he just had to find a partner. Hopefully someone he knew; preferably Ruby. She was nice. She looked very capable in a fight. She built that scythe of hers after all. It was also a gun! Maybe Weiss? She was gorgeous. That there was a girl he wouldn't mind giving his first hand-holding to. Yang? She seemed kinda difficult to deal with. There was also that girl on the cereal box. She seemed pretty eager to get on Team Jaune. He had some pretty good options. Now it was just locating one of them.

The sounds of a battle drew his attention. He listened more intently and made out the noise of metal clashing with Grimm-hide. A scream of exertion followed by more clashes told Jaune it was a girl. With barely contained excitement, he took off towards the source and paused behind a giant tree. Peeking out from behind it, he gazed upon a sight straight out of a fantasy novel.

There was some girl he didn't recognize. She had long black hair and a very cute black bow. In contrast, the thing she was fighting was a terrifying sight. A giant black snake lunged at her and she barely dodged out of the way. If he remembered right that was a snake Grimm called a King Taijitu. It felt like he was forgetting a detail about it... well, whatever. If it was important he would remember it later.

Now was his chance to slip away if he wanted. The girl hadn't noticed him and seemed to be holding her own just fine. If he left her without making eye-contact they didn't have to be partners and he could find one of his earlier-thought-candidates. He didn't want to admit it but that Grimm scared him a little too. Just as he resolved himself to do this he was reminded of that detail he had been forgetting. King Taijitu had two heads…

A white snake was sneaking up on the girl. She was going to be attacked unsuspectingly from behind while she was occupied with the first head. She could die... he couldn't let that happen. He didn't want to become a Huntsmen to let people die just so he could be safe; the exact opposite. He would rather die for others if it meant they could live on.

"I gotta do this." He took several deep breaths and realized his knees were shaking. Was he gonna buckle under fear? No! He had to be brave. The white snake was rearing its head back. It was preparing to strike. She still hadn't turned to see it yet.

She was going to die.

Before that thought had even fully formed he had broken from his cover and was running to her. The white snake lunged just as he reached her back. His shield was already deployed and raised. Its head ran smack into it and bounced backwards from the unexpected obstacle. Jaune nearly fell on his butt from the recoil. He managed to keep his balance by stepping into the back of the girl he had saved.

"Thanks." Her smooth silk-like voice didn't sound at all like she was currently engaged in a life or death struggle. In fact, she didn't sound winded at all and he was pretty sure he had seen her jumping around like a professional acrobat before he ran out to help. "Think you can hold that one off long enough for me to finish this one?"

"Haha... leave it to me." His voice cracked and he looked at the giant white snake in front of him. It was much bigger up close and he felt his vision blur out of focus.

"This won't take long." He felt the softness of the girl's back disappear and heard a loud yell. She was fighting and giving it her all . There was no reason he shouldn't be expected to do the same.

"Here goes nothing!" Jaune forced his eyes to focus on the snake and charged with a furious battle shout. His abrupt change in demeanor must have shocked the Taijitu because it pulled back slightly instead of lunging.

When he was what he guessed was close enough, he swung his sword in a powerful cutting arc... only to fall magnificently short.

He tripped over his own two feet and the sword met only air. "...Not what I planned." He grinned sheepishly up at the snake. It responded with a jab, mouth open wide. "Crap!" Jaune let out a high-pitched scream and raised his shield.

Its head once again bounced off and Jaune staggered, his arm going numb from the force of the blow. The snake recovered much more quickly and lunged again. Jaune barely blocked this time. He was knocked to his butt and his arm completely lost the strength to hold up the shield. The snake didn't appear phased at all. It charged once more.

He was dead.

At least he went out trying to protect a girl…

Said girl flew across his vision. With quick work, she pincered the King Taijitu's head clean off. Blood sprayed in all directions and both parts of its body hit the ground. Jaune had to scoot rapidly backwards to avoid getting caught by the red splashes that were quickly dying the earth.

Twice now, he had escaped death by the skin of his teeth.

He looked for his savior but caught no sight of her. Had she abandoned him? Jaune's heart fell as he realized the implications of this. He had sucked so horribly she had fled before the two of them could make eye-contact so she could avoid being his partner. Not that he could really blame her. That had been pretty disgraceful on his part. He deserved to be abandoned. His eyes focused on the grass at his feet and misted with tears. Even if he deserved it, that didn't mean it didn't hurt. It was almost like all his worthlessness was being thrown right in his face. He had run out to save her and in the end it was him that needed saving.

As he continued to stare at the grass by his feet a second pair came into view. He started, head jerking up with an audible snap and locked eyes with a pair of beautiful yellow. The girl with the bow gave him a small smile and extended her hand. Without even really thinking about it, Jaune took it and allowed himself to be hoisted to his feet. He couldn't help but stare at her in disbelief.

"My name is Blake Belladonna." She introduced herself with a slight incline of her head. "Thanks again for coming to my aid." Jaune opened and closed his mouth but no words came out. She was still going to thank him? He had been the one who was saved in the end. He had to let her know it was fine. She didn't have to team up with him if she didn't want to. Maybe it wasn't too late to undo this? Before he could voice any of this, the girl he now knew as Blake gave a small chuckle. "Aren't you the guy who was in the Onesie?"

Jaune knew it should have made him embarrassed. He wasn't exactly up-to-date on the latest pj fashion in the city and had made a bit of a fool of himself last night. However, her calling him out on it in such a way made him feel comfortable. It was exactly like when he met Ruby. "The name's Jaune Arc." He pointed to himself dramatically, all his previous floundering forgotten and he assumed his false bravado. "Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue. Ladies love it."

Blake rolled her eyes at his introduction but the small smile never diminished. "Nice to meet you, Jaune Arc."

He gave the hand she had used to hoist him up a single, firm shake. "Nice to meet you, partner."

Their scrolls beeped and their partnership was confirmed.

Jaune fumbled for the device, eager to see his new task now that he had successfully accomplished yet another. He was on a roll. Two tasks down and he hadn't died. Yet. Just nearly. Twice. Who was counting?

His scroll began displaying the newest message from Ozpin. 'Congratulations Jaune Arc and Blake Belladonna on becoming partners. May you fight well together. Your third task begins now. To the west is a cave. Locate it, enter it, and retrieve a relic from inside. Once you have exited the cave you will be given your fourth task. Until then.'

"That sounds easy enough." Jaune looked up from his scroll to see his partner already walking. "Hey, wait up!" She moved through the forest with practiced ease, almost as if she lived in it her entire life. He meanwhile crashed through it like a wild boar.

"So Blake," He ducked under a tree branch that nearly whacked him in the face. "What brings you to Beacon?"

"I want to become a Huntress." He waited several seconds for her to say more but it seemed that was as much as she cared to elaborate.

"Really? What a coincidence. I'm here to become a Hunter myself!" He chuckled at his own lame humor. "I come from a line of warriors and Huntsmen myself. It seemed right to follow in their footsteps, you know? Besides, it feels good to help people. What about you? Why do you want to become a Huntress?" Hopefully by sharing a little about himself would make her open up. For a moment, it didn't seem like it would work.

"There's... so much wrong with this world." Blake finally answered. "I couldn't just stand by and do nothing. I have to fix it."

"Ah." That made his goals of keeping the family name going feel pretty insignificant. He decided to just let the conversation die with that and Blake seemed more than happy to leave it. So for nearly an hour the two of them walked until they found what they could only assume was the cave their scroll mentioned.

If Jaune had to pick one word to describe the cave; it would be ominous. Unreadable warnings were scrawled all around the edges of the gaping entrance that seemed to extend forever into pure darkness. Blake approached the writing and attempted to decipher its meaning. Jaune meanwhile tried to peer deeper into the gaping black hole that was before them. He had no such luck in discerning anything.

While Blake was distracted, he ran back to the forest to remedy that. When he returned she just seemed to be finishing and turned to look for him. Her yellow eyes widened when she noticed what he had done.

"Ta da!" Jaune waved the torch he had just constructed above his head. It didn't look very impressive in the sunlight but he knew it would be more than enough to light up the cave ahead.

"I'm impressed. How did you know how to even make that?" Blake genuinely looked like she meant her first statement. It caused a small sense of pride to build up in Jaune's chest. Maybe she wouldn't think of him as so worthless after this?

"Oh, you know. I'm just multi-talented." He shrugged cooly.

Blake rolled her eyes but didn't press the point. "Shall we go find that relic?" She indicated for him to take the lead now that he had the light.

"Definitely." He strolled purposefully ahead and she fell into line with him. The torch lit up the cave brilliantly and they made their way deeper into it. "Did you manage to figure out what all that writing by the entrance meant?"

Blake shook her head. "Only that this place is dangerous. We should be careful." No sooner did she say this then did the torch begin illuminating numerous skeletons scattered across the cave floor. Most of them were just the remains of rats and rodents but several here and there looked like they might even belong to a human.

Jaune gulped. "I don't think we needed that writing to figure that out." Blake could only nod in silent agreement. They proceeded deeper in but this time without any talking. Two near-death experiences in a day was enough for him, thank you. He just really hoped that this light was enough to scare off anything that they came across. He would hate for something to descend upon them because they were suddenly thrust into darkness.

Maybe it was because he had this last thought? Maybe it was just because he was a klutz? Either way, no sooner did he think that then he tripped and stumbled over a small pebble. He fell forward and dropped the torch to catch himself. By pure dumb luck the flames hit a puddle…

...and thrust them into complete and utter darkness.

* * *

Blake Belladonna let out a long, drawn out sigh as their only source of light was extinguished. Her eyes adjusted quickly and she could see almost as if she'd never lost the light at all. She knew that her partner wouldn't be nearly as lucky. He was going to be completely blind the remainder of their duration in the cave.

Jaune hadn't moved from his spot on the ground. He was on his hands and knees and was just staring at the spot where he had last seen the torch. She wanted to call out to him and tell him not to worry about it. Tell him there was no harm done. She could still see after all…

...that was the one thing she didn't want him knowing. She couldn't risk her identity being compromised on only her second day into the academy. She wasn't exactly seeing another alternative either. They were effectively stranded in here unless she revealed her secret. There was no way the torch was going to be lit again and it would take a considerable amount of time for them to stumble "blindly" out to make another. She once again sighed and realized what it was she had to do.

Jaune must have heard this sigh because his head jerked up. When he looked at her it didn't take a genius to figure out what he was thinking. "I'm so sorry, Blake! I'll fix this, I swear! Don't give up on me and abandon me as a partner-"

"Whoa, whoa!" Blake interrupted him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Calm down. No one is abandoning anyone. It was a mistake. No harm done." She took a deep breath and prepared herself to reveal her big secret. "...I can actually see in the dark."

To her complete surprise, Jaune just let out a sigh of relief. "Oh thank goodness." His worry seemed to ebb away as if it had been an illusion. Instead it was replaced by what looked like awe. "You're awesome. I'm glad to have you as a partner."

"Glad?" Blake tilted her head. He wasn't mad at her for hiding her heritage?

"Yeah." Jaune nodded vigorously to emphasize his point. "You kick ass in a fight. Seem super cool, smart, and collected. You're beautiful. And now I find out you have night vision like some super-hunter from a comic book!"

Blake felt her face heat up at all his blunt praise and she was glad he couldn't see it. She was also thrilled to realize Jaune didn't actually understand what her having night-vision really meant. In a small way, she was glad he was her partner now too. She had been really skeptical to approach him after his poor performance against the Taijitu, but slowly she was reconsidering her position on him. She shook off these thoughts and lifted him to his feet by the elbow. "Come on, take my hand. I'll guide us through this." Without waiting for a response, she grabbed him and began pulling him through the darkness.

They continued for several seconds in silence. She had expected him to say something more but apparently something was distracting him now. "...My first hand-holding."

"What?" Blake's bow twitched as she heard Jaune say something nonsensical.

Jaune was staring at where their hands were connected - not that he could actually see it. "It's my first time holding hands with a girl. Well, a girl not my mom or sisters."

Blake shook her head but smiled. "Don't get too used to it."

"I'll savor the moment while I can then." Jaune said just a little too happily.

The scenery of the cave suddenly changed as they reached what looked like a massive chamber. The walls and ceiling extended much farther and the floor dipped down to form what looked like a giant bowl. In the middle of this massive cavern was a pedestal... and on that pedestal was a chess piece; a white knight. "Jaune, I see the relic."

"Are you serious?" Jaune took a couple excited steps forward but nearly tripped because of the unexpected slant. Blake held tight to steady him. "Let's go get it and get out of here. I still can't see anything."

"Yeah, okay." Blake took a step into the cavern when her bow twitched again. They weren't alone. She could feel it. Her tension must have reached her hand because even Jaune suddenly seemed on edge.

"Blake?" He asked in hushed whisper. "What is it? What's out there?"

She shook her head and then remembered he couldn't see. "I don't know. I... don't see anything." Her eyes scanned every inch of the cavern that was visible to her. There was nothing. As far as her eyes could tell it was just them. Her other senses knew better. But until it made itself known, there was nothing she could do. "We need to move. Preferably quickly."

"Grab it and run. I like it." Jaune nodded and they both moved at a much more hastened pace. Blake had one hand on Gambol Shroud, ready for anything. Without so much as a twitch from the danger they made it to the small monolith in the center. Not missing a beat, she snagged the chess piece and forced it into Jaune's free hand. He put it into his pocket and smirked. "Let's get out of here." She nodded and scanned the chamber once more. Sure that it was safe, she turned around only to finally see it.

"Wait!" Blake pulled at his hand and nearly yanked him off of feet.

"What is it?" Jaune looked to her but she didn't respond so instead he squinted off into the dark. "...Is that a lightbulb? Is there electricity in here?" He asked as his eyes caught something.

Blake shook her head. "That's no lightbulb. It's the tip of a Deathstalker." Jaune couldn't make out the enormity of the Grimm that was before him but unfortunately to Blake it was all too clear. The giant, scorpion creature had been resting on a ledge above where they had entered the chamber. Now that it saw them, it had climbed down from its perch and was blocking their only exit.

"Can we get around it?" Jaune asked.

"I don't know." Blake shook her head. "I'm going to have to distract it. Once I give you the go, you have to get through."

"No way!" Jaune began to protest but Blake gave his hand a fierce squeeze that shut him up.

"I'm the only one that can see it. You can't fight it blind. Besides, my abilities specialize in subtlety. If anyone has a chance of sneaking by it, it's me." She pulled out Gambol Shroud and readied it in front of herself.

"Alright, but if you get in trouble you better let me know. I won't let anything happen to you." Jaune turned back to the only source of light he could see and tracked it with his eyes.

"Thanks but I'll be fine. Now let's go. It looks like it knows we have to go through there to get out. It's waiting for us to make the first move." Blake didn't wait for a response and charged forward.

"Dammit." She heard Jaune grumble behind her, clearly unhappy with the situation. Not that she liked it any more than he did. Her big concern was whether or not he could make it past the Deathstalker without her guiding him. She had no doubt about being able to handle her end, but she couldn't fight this thing and protect him.

She closed in on it. The Deathstalker finally started to move. It let out a horrid screech that echoed violently across the cave walls and swung one of its pincers. Blake easily dodged and swung at the face of the giant scorpion. To her great annoyance, the blade bounced pointlessly off. It was quite a bit thicker than she thought if it was able to take a blow from Gambol Shroud and not even crack.

Its deadly tail jabbed at her, the light from the tip descending. She left a shadow clone in her place and dodged the attack. To the Deathstalker, it probably looked like it killed her. She was only too quick to prove it wrong as she pulled the katana blade out from her sheath and attempted to scissor its tail off.

Again she didn't even scratch it and only seemed to make it more angry. It swung at her again. She left another clone to be destroyed and put distance between the two of them. It didn't seem to fall for the same trick twice and found her a little too quick for comfort. Her katana folded into its pistol form and she began firing bursts of dust bullets to anger it further. It worked and the Deathstalker finally began to give chase.

"Jaune! Now!" Blake yelled and ran sideways while still spraying the Grimm with gunfire. It followed after her exactly as she intended. Out of the corner of her eye she caught a glimpse of Jaune as he made it to the chamber entrance.

"Blake, I think I'm here! Now get outta there!" He shouted and looked desperately into the darkness, unable to see them.

"I'm on my way!" The Deathstalker finally caught up to her. Blake easily dodged its stinger thrust and ended up inside its guard. She jumped at one of its arms and kicked off it. Landing on its back, she kicking off again, flying in the air over the Grimm and behind it. She smirked and she turned her head only to realize too late she had made a mistake.

Its tail was swinging backwards and right at her. It was too close to dodge and she couldn't turn around quickly enough to block. So the end of the stinger struck her cleanly in the back. She cried out in pain and was launched towards the ground.

With a loud thud she crashed and rolled several feet, losing her weapon in the process. Her aura had saved her life but did little to mitigate the pain. It was going to be a solid thirty seconds before she was going to be able to move again. That was assuming her vision quit swimming too. Not that she had thirty seconds. The Deathstalker was scuttling at her again and Jaune couldn't see.

She was going to die like this. Facedown in a cave, done in by a single Grimm. At least Jaune had survived. Maybe this wasn't so bad? It was true she hadn't really helped the world out much. She'd done more to it hurt it, actually. She couldn't help but have pointless thoughts like this as her final moments approached.

"Blake!" Jaune? He was close. Had he come back for her? That idiot! He was going to get himself killed and her death would be for nothing. He couldn't see the damn thing and even if he could, how was he supposed to fight it? His sword and shield were drawn but even Gambol Shroud had been ineffective at so much as scratching it. What did he hope to accomplish?

"Jaune, you idiot." She tried to yell but it came out no more than a raspy whisper. "Run and live." She attempted to turn her head but the sight of the Deathstalker caused her to lock up. It was practically on top of her and its tail was descending. This was it.

She was dead.

"Get away from her you monster!" Jaune yelled at the top of his lungs. With not even a second to spare he got between Blake and the stinger. His shield held high, he managed to deflect the blow. The stinger glanced to the right and slammed into the ground right next to Blake's head.

"H-How?" Blake couldn't believe it. Jaune was practically blind but had managed to intercept the strike.

"Blake?" Jaune began looking around the floor in a panic. In his blundering he kicked her in the ribs and tripped over her body. "Omph!" He hit the ground and lost his shield. Their only defense slid away from them.

"Jaune!" Blake coughed as the wind was knocked from her lungs.

"Sorry!" Jaune groaned and rolled over. His eyes widened and Blake turned to see the same sight. The Deathstalker had raised its stinger again and was prepared to take another jab. But which one of them was it going to aim for? They were both on the ground. Regardless, she still couldn't move properly. If it came for her she was dead. Jaune didn't look much better.

It chose its target as its stinger descended... right towards her. And this time Jaune didn't have his shield to protect her. That didn't stop him from trying. "Hold on!" He rolled up to her and grabbed her. Holding her tight against himself, he rolled them out of the way. The stringer again struck the ground. He was sure to stop with himself on bottom. Her hair flayed onto his face and he had to swat it out of way so he could see the only light he had.

"Jaune! What are you doing?" Blake attempted to pick herself off him but he held her tight.

"I'm saving our lives!" Jaune rolled them over again. The sound of the stringer crashing into the ground told her they just barely dodged it.

"You can't do anything by trying to save me! Stand up and fight!" They rolled and dodged again.

"I've got a plan!" The Deathstalker was getting quicker with its strikes and Jaune had to keep rolling side to side without more than a second pause now. The whole thing was starting to make Blake dizzy. Finally, he stopped when they ended up directly under the Deathstalker. The hail of stinger strikes paused as the Grimm lost sight of them.

"Your plan was hide under it?" She hissed into his ear.

"No! This was my plan!" She felt the hand that still held his sword leave her back and he thrust upwards. A violent scream let Blake know that the attack was successful. Jaune pulled his sword out and stabbed again. Then again. Each stab caused the Deathstalker's hissing to get louder. Its legs buckled and it nearly collapsed on them. Their luck held and it stumbled away where it proceeded to thrash violently.

They sat in silence for a few moments and gasped desperately for breath. Finally, Blake had to know what had just transpired. "How did you know its weakness was its underbelly?"

"Weakness?" Jaune let his head hit the ground and looked up at her. "I just attacked the only thing I could get at while rolling around." Was he being serious? It certainly appeared that way. He looked just as thankful that his strategy worked as she felt.

"Well, it actually saved us." Blake broke eye-contact to watch it continue to struggle to stand.

"So, umm…" Jaune mumbled and Blake turned back to him. He had a very deep blush. "...I don't suppose I could ask for you to get off me." Her face got hot as she felt her own blush spread. She attempted to do just that but only halfway succeeded before her knees buckled and she fell back on top of him. "Blake! You okay?" He sat up and held her gently in a sitting position.

"I'm fine." Even she knew she didn't sound very convincing.

"Guide me to your weapon and my shield. I'll grab them and get us out of here." Jaune started to get up but a tremor knocked him back to his butt. "What was that!?"

Blake turned just as the Deathstalker stumbled into the cavern wall. It swayed away from it before smashing into it once again. To her terror, the wall creaked and cracked. The crack spread like a spiderweb and before long covered half the cavern. One of the cracks broke loose and a boulder fell. It smashed into the back of the Grimm and it let out its most horrendous screech yet. Jaune and Blake covered their ears to keep the horrid noise out but that was now the least of their worries. Several more hunks of rock broke free and one landed a little more than too close for Blake's comfort.

"It's causing a cave in! We need to get out of here! Now!" Blake shook Jaune urgently and he nodded. He jumped to his feet and hefted Blake off hers.

"Your weapons?" He asked, supporting them both

"About a foot behind me." Blake was astonished as he easily carried her over to where she directed but fumbled pointlessly as he tried to grab it. "Let me down. I can walk." She tried to break free from him but this only caused him to drop her. She landed painfully on the ground.

"I'm sorry! You okay?" She barely heard him ask over the sound of a boulder collapsing right next to them.

"I'm fine." Blake hissed, not that he heard. She grabbed Gambol Shroud and stumbled to her feet. "Let's get out of here now." The Deathstalker was no longer a threat but the cave-in it was causing sure was. She attempted to run forward but staggered and fell to the ground.

"Blake!" Jaune called as he too fumbled around trying to find her. He found his shield first. Another boulder landed right next to him and it broke into pieces, the debris barely missing them. "Blake! Where'd you go?"

"I'm here! I can't run! You're gonna have to help me limp out of here!" She thought about just telling him to leave but knew there was no way he'd go for it. So she just saved them both the time and agreed to accept his help.

"I got you!" Jaune bent down and managed to find her shoulders. He once again hefted her up but this time placed her on her own feet. She draped an arm over his shoulder and together the two of them began to hobble out of the chamber at a pace that made Blake very nervous. More and more debris was falling all around them and it was only by sheer coincidence they hadn't been hit yet. She gave one last look behind her to see the Deathstalker get buried beneath a pile of rubble and hopefully died. "Where the heck are we even going?" Jaune was more or less walking for both of them but he was completely blind. The sounds of earth shattering all around him had to be terrifying.

It was terrifying even though she could see it. "Just keep going straight. You're doing fine." Blake coached as he finally got them out of the chamber. They weren't safe yet. Even out here the cave was giving way.

"How can I dodge the debris if I can't see?" Jaune looked around frantically but it was fruitless and Blake knew it.

"There would be no dodging it even if you could see! Just keep your eyes in front of you. All we can do is go forward." Blake ordered harshly. They couldn't afford any distractions. He quickly listened to her and together they limped towards the entrance. After several agonizing seconds the light at the end of the tunnel came into sight.

"Ah! I see it!" Jaune sounded relieved to finally have one of his senses returned. "We're gonna make it!" Just as he shouted this the inevitable happened. A baseball-sized rock clocked him in the back of the head. He collapsed forward and dropped her.

"Jaune! Jaune!" Blake cried in desperation as she got to her knees and shook him. She watched in horror as he waved in and out of consciousness. Blood flowed freely from the back of his head. She had no choice. She wasn't feeling one-hundred percent yet but she had to try to drag him out. He hadn't abandoned her and there was no way she was abandoning him. "Come on, Jaune!" She placed her arms under him and hefted his heavy body up.

He seemed only partially aware of what was going on as he managed to at least stand with her help. He took a couple steps with them leaning on one another for support before he teetered again. His eyes blanked out, refocused, and then blanked out again. It was all she could do just to hold him up. A rock half their size collapsed in front of them. There was no way she could drag him around it like this.

"Jaune! You gotta snap outta it!" She shook him and racked her brain for a way to bring him back. Nothing came to mind so she attempted to pull him again. He didn't even take a step this time and she almost dropped him. "Jaune! If you don't come around right this second we are both going to die! Do you understand me? _You_ are going to die!"

A spark returned to his eyes and he looked ahead of them with all the determination he could possibly muster. "That's it, Jaune! Now let's go!" They got around the boulder and made their way to the entrance once again.

And this time they made it.

Just as they stumbled outside the entire mouth of the cave collapsed, ensuring no one was ever entering or leaving it again.

"We... we made it." Blake almost broke into tears as she and Jaune both fell to their knees on the beautiful green grass. They were still holding one another for dear life and staring out at the trees in front of them. At the beautiful blue sky above them. Jaune began chuckling next to her. It must have been contagious because it caused Blake to let out a giggle of her own. After that it was like the floodgates had been broken. They both broke out into full-out laughter that lasted a solid minute before showing any signs of dying down.

"I can't believe I actually survived." Jaune grinned a big stupid grin as he pulled out the white knight piece they had retrieved. "I'm so glad you're my partner." He repeated what he had said earlier in the cave.

"I'm glad you're my partner too." Blake really meant that. Anyone else might have ran and abandoned her. He stayed and fought a Deathstalker while blind for her. "I'm sorry I tried to handle that Grimm on my own. I thought you would have only got in my way." She turned to him and realized only now just how ragged he looked. Cuts and nicks from when she first met him were still there. The back of his head and down his neck and into his hoodie was coated in blood. That didn't begin to cover all the bruises he seemed to have sustained while in there. "Your Aura... it isn't healing you."

"My what?" Jaune turned to face her and their noses almost touched. Blake didn't have time to care about things like that right now.

"Aura, Jaune." She repeated.

"Gesundheit."

Blake raised her eyebrow at him. "Do you... know what Aura is?"

Jaune's eyes widened and he opened his mouth to respond but Blake put a finger to his lips to shut him up. She already knew the answer and didn't care to hear whatever excuse he was about to sprout. "Let me unlock it for you."

"You can do that?" He received no answer as Blake closed her eyes and repeated the chant she had learned in her head. After a moment she felt her energy drain and Jaune began glowing brightly. It was miraculous. All his wounds closed up and his bruises vanished. Blake was still so close to him she even felt his Aura take her own fatigue away and for just a moment she could've sworn she felt a connection form between their two Aura. "Wow…" Jaune looked at his hand and flexed it in astonishment. "...I feel brand new. What did you do?"

"I just gave you a small push. Everything else was all you." She smiled and broke away from him as she got to her feet. "I'll give you a book about Aura when we get out of this light-forsaken forest. The rest should be a breeze after that."

"Speaking of getting out of here," He followed her lead and stood up. "What do we do with this thing?" He held the chess piece up between them. Just as he asked, their scrolls beeped and they both unlocked their devices to see the next set of instructions. To their confusion, the scrolls displayed a map of the forest they were in. That map was littered with numerous chess pieces and segmented off like a chess board.

After several seconds a message popped up that read as followed: 'On this map is the location of all the other teams of two. Locate the team that has retrieved the piece identical to yours. Be warned, if you come across a team with a chess piece of the opposite color of yours, you will have to battle to move on. The losers of that battle will be eliminated. That is all.'

They both stared at their scrolls for several seconds before turning back to one another.

"Are you kidding me?!"


	2. The Emerald Forest

Coeur Al'Aran was the beta for the original Auburn and helped me immensely during a period when we were both just getting started. Cover Art drawn by confections101 and a link to it is on my profile page. Jefardi is the one who finally kicked my butt into gear to do something about this story I had almost given up on.

* * *

 **Auburn**

 _The Emerald Forest_

* * *

Jaune was about done with these tasks.

They had just been through Hell and back in that cave and they were supposed to do more? Just how many things did he have to go through in order to even be fully accepted at this school? Maybe the headmaster knew he had faked his transcripts and was just screwing with him at this point?

"I don't want to have to fight other students…" Grimm were one thing. They wouldn't laugh at you when you lost. They would just eat you. He'd prefer that to the humiliation of getting his face beaten in by another student with one of their high-tech custom weapons.

"We might not have to." Blake finally spoke up after several moments of silence. She had been inspecting the map on her scroll very carefully. "I think I found a path that will get us to the team with the same piece we have while avoiding any team of the opposite color." Well that sounded promising.

"Well what are we waiting for then?" Jaune's tune changed. "Let's go meet our teammates!" At first, the idea of more allies sounded exciting. But as Jaune and Blake ran to meet them he began to have doubts about teaming up with others. Blake had turned out okay but what if the others couldn't stand him? What if they thought he was holding them back? He didn't want the others to think he was a burden. What if they convinced Blake of the same? No, that was ridiculous. They had a bond now. What exactly that bond was, Jaune couldn't be sure. However, it was undeniably there. He just had to believe he would form it with these new teammates too.

With these hopes and doubts in mind they kept moving forward.

Blake frowned at her scroll, checking it every so often to make sure they were still on the right path and that no students of the opposite color were sneaking up to try and eliminate them. "It looks like they might have taken a detour. They're moving in a pretty odd pattern, I suppose they ran into Grimm."

"Should we hurry to help?" If they were in trouble, Jaune wanted to help immediately. No better way to make a good first impression. It seemed to have worked with Blake at least. She shook her head in response but her eyes widened slightly and darted off into the forest. For a second he almost thought he saw her bow twitch. "Blake, what's wrong? Grimm?" He unsheathed his sword and expanded his shield.

"No. Another team is barreling towards our direction fairly quickly." Blake brought her hand up and rested it on the handle of Gambol Shroud. "They'll run into us at this rate… we should hide. They have a black piece so we'll have to fight."

Jaune was about to nod in agreement when he heard what sounded like something crashing through the forest. Whatever it was he was hearing couldn't possibly be human which meant it was almost certainly a Grimm. "They're being pursued?"

She nodded. "Judging by the sounds, I would guess an Ursa. A big one."

Great... more big Grimm.

He sighed and resigned himself to what he had to say next. "We gotta help them. Enemies or allies. I would feel horrible if they got killed because we ignored them."

Blake smirked. "I figured you would say something like that. You're too nice." Despite saying this she made no movement to go hide and instead readied herself for battle.

"Thanks, Blake." He knew he could count on her to support him.

"Don't thank me yet. You've got an Aura now, so I'm expecting more from you." Jaune gulped. He wasn't exactly used to people expecting things from him. Rather, people never really wanted or needed him to do anything. It was a terrifying responsibility that he wasn't sure he was ready for. Yet he couldn't help but feel a tinge of happiness. For the first time, someone was depending on him. He couldn't afford to let her down.

Nor could he let down those in danger. Two of their classmates came bursting through the brush at full speed. One was a rather tall, muscular boy with a mace. The other was lanky and had an unusual green mohawk. They paused for half a second when they saw Jaune and Blake. A terrible roar from just behind kicked them back into gear no later than that. As Blake had predicted, an Ursa that was easily twice as big as either of them thrashed into the clearing.

Jaune raised his sword and gave a throaty battlecry. The Ursa paused its pursuit. It tilted its head as if sizing up its new adversaries. Realizing that they were more of a threat than its previous targets, it turned to them and raised a claw. The white nails gleamed menacingly off the sunlight. Jaune was nonetheless proud to admit it didn't cause him to lock up in fear as it would have not even two hours ago. Apparently four near death experiences made you a little braver. Or maybe just numb to the fear? Regardless, instead of backing off, he charged and raised his shield.

It swung at him and he knocked its claw aside with a bat from the shield. Blake appeared next to him and blocked the second strike with Gambol Shroud. Jaune stabbed the Grimm in the stomach. It roared, mouth gaping wide and attempted to take a bite out of his head. He pulled his sword out and in perfect sync with Blake jumped backwards. They landed out of harms way and the Grimm's blood spilled on the ground in spurting heaps.

"Jaune! Give me a boost." He made eye-contact with his teammate for only half-a-second and understood her intent.

"You got it!" He bent down and raised the shield over his head. Blake jumped up and the moment her feet touched his shield he pushed up, propelling her into the air and high above the Ursa.

It gave another roar and charged him. Jaune got back to his feet and blocked one strike with his shield. It swung at him again and he deflected it with his sword. The force of the blow put him off-balance. He wasn't going to be able to respond if it swung again. Before it could, Blake descended onto its back, burying her blade into its spine. It collapsed and Jaune had to backpedal to avoid being crushed. When it hit the ground the earth shook and it continued to roar in defiance.

So he stepped forward and finished it, sword swinging down and gouging the back of its neck. With a sickening pop he decapitating the Grimm. Its head bounced once and then rolled to a stop where its own blood showered it like a geyser. Then it began to disintegrate. The whole fight had lasted only about thirty seconds and was the first time Jaune had faced a Grimm and not thought he would die.

"Not bad." Blake climbed off the back of the Ursa and gave him an approving smile. It turned to a frown as she regarded the other two students. Jaune turned to them just as they pulled out their scrolls. He pulled out his own and saw a message had appeared while they had been fighting.

'Jaune Arc and Blake Belladonna possess the White Knight piece. Cardin Winchester and Russell Thrush possess the Black Bishop piece. As mandated from the previous instructions, these two teams must battle. The winning condition is render your opponents unable to combat further or until the other team surrenders. If either teammate flees the scene of the battle it'll be considered automatic surrender.'

He and Blake looked up from their scrolls at the same time, locking eyes with each other and then turning to the two they saved. They were staring them down and were reaching for their weapons. Blake stepped forward before anything could be officially done on either side. "You really intend to fight us after we saved your lives?"

"No one asked you to do that!" The one Jaune guessed was Cardin spit at them. "We had it under control!"

"I could tell that by the looks of fear on your faces as you fled." Blake taunted, causing both boys to glow red in the face.

"Blake…" Jaune nudged her. He didn't want to have to fight them if he didn't have to but he also wasn't comfortable with her so openly insulting them. He probably would have fled too if he didn't have such a competent partner by his side.

Blake may have picked up on this because she gave his shoulder an empathetic squeeze. "If they don't back down Jaune, we have no choice but to fight them. It's them or us. I'm sure you're not gonna choose them?" She was right and he knew it. So with great reluctance he nodded and stepped towards them as well.

"You saw how easily we dispatched that Ursa! We don't want to do the same to you!" Jaune held his shield up and readied his sword. It still gleamed with the blood of the creature behind them, some of that red liquid dripping off the tip and onto the glass. Blake planted Gambol Shroud at her feet in a show of support.

Cardin sneered and pulled out a giant mace from his back. "I'll make you losers eat those words!" He slammed the mace into the ground. It caused an explosion that launched hunks of dirt and rock right at them. Jaune stepped in front of Blake and let his shield block all the debris.

"You take him. I'll handle the dagger-wielder who's hanging back." Blake assigned roles.

"Alright, but just incapacitate him. I don't want anyone to get hurt more than necessary." He was still against this but they really had no choice anymore. So with reluctance, he charged. Blake ran just a couple paces behind.

"I'm going to leave a clone in front of you. When he swings at it, take the shot. Don't pay any mind to it getting hit. It's not me." Jaune wasn't exactly sure what she meant by that but he could only nod and agree to her plan. There was no time to get details as every second brought him closer to the boy that was quite a bit taller than him. He raised his mace high above his head, prepared to bring it down on anyone foolish enough to get within its reach.

Just before they got to him, Blake put on a burst of speed and dashed around Jaune. She charged right at Cardin with Gambol Shroud raised. He didn't hesitate to bring his mace down right on her head. For a split second, it looked like he landed a clean shot and that Blake was all but a goner. Jaune held onto the memory of her earlier warning and sure enough the doppelgänger in front of him faded from existence, leaving a stunned and confused Cardin.

Jaune didn't hesitate to use this to his advantage and bashed the taller boy in the mouth with his shield. He toppled to the ground but managed to hold onto this mace. Jaune flicked at it with his sword, disarming him before raising the blade to his throat. The bigger boy froze in fear and Jaune took the opportunity to see how Blake was doing.

He needn't have worried. In a dazzling display of skill she quickly overpowered her opponent and brought him to his knees. Jaune couldn't help but grin. Thanks to Blake's little tactic, they had won without almost any resistance. He was honestly starting to feel like the two of them could do anything.

Unfortunately for him, he let his gaze linger just a little too long and Cardin took advantage of his distraction. He grabbed Jaune's foot and threw it backwards, causing Jaune to flail for balance and stumble. "Oh, crap!"

"Jaune!" Blake turned but was too far away to react.

"Have some payback, you punk!" Cardin, still on the ground, grabbed his mace and sat up while swinging. Jaune had no way to bring his shield around.

It was going to hit him!

Time seemed to stand still as the mace inched closer. Jaune racked his brain for a way out but nothing came to mind. If it exploded when it made contact, would he die? Probably. Either way, he was about to find out. The mace hit him dead in the chest and his vision flashed white.

Everything after that was blank.

* * *

Did he die?

Everything was white and blank so that seemed like the most logical explanation.

But what was this sensation he was feeling all over his body? It kind of felt like tingling. He focused in on it and realized at once that it was pain. It caused him to gasp and suddenly he was assaulted by several senses at once.

His vision began to return, but the world around him was nothing but a blurry mess. He could make out a lot of green and brown, but not much else. Then his eyes registered movement from several different people, but he couldn't even tell how many there were.

What happened again exactly? That was right. Cardin's mace must have exploded on contact when it hit him. He must have been launched backwards and if he had to guess, right into a tree. It would explain the horrid back-pain he was feeling. Not that there was a part of him that didn't hurt.

As he waited for his vision to return he focused on his other senses. He smelt... smoke. Was he covered in burns? His ears were working but the only thing he could hear was a really loud ringing, almost as if someone had set off an alarm clock inside of his head. The last thing was the strong taste of copper in his mouth. He could even feel the blood dribble down his chin. Needless to say, he was in really bad shape.

Finally, his eyes quit swimming enough for him to make out the people that were dancing around in his vision. Cardin and Russell were pushing Blake back. That was kind of weird, he thought. She was probably skilled enough to take them both so why was she having trouble? Then he noticed that she kept glancing over to him, probably wondering if he was dead. Then it hit him: She was worried about him and wasn't able to focus properly on the fight because of it. How long had he been sitting here like this? Had it just been a few seconds, or several minutes? There was no way to tell.

It looked like she might be calling out to him but his ears were still ringing too loudly to actually hear anything. He had to let her know he was alright, but how could he do that? He couldn't exactly call out and moving seemed a little out of the question. He was propped up against a tree in sitting position. So maybe he could use the tree as support? He needed to get some kind of response from his limbs first for that to work.

He looked down at his hands and noticed a couple things at once. First, his shield and sword weren't anywhere near him. A quick glance told him they had been blasted about half-way across the clearing in either direction. The second thing he noticed was that he was covered in white energy that could only be his Aura. Once he realized what it was he also realized that every second he felt more of his senses return and the pain lessening. He was being healed!

Thank the light for Aura. He couldn't be more thankful to Blake for having unlocked his earlier than he was right now. It had literally saved his life. He would have died beyond a shadow of a doubt without it. Still, it wasn't going fast enough for him. His partner was in trouble and needed him now.

So he focused all the energy he could into his hands. At first he didn't get even the smallest of a response. Then, he felt his fingers twitch. His movements were returning! Soon, he was able to move his whole arm. Then the other arm and soon his legs. Slowly but surely, using the tree behind him as support, he pushed himself up to his feet.

Blake caught sight of the movement and her face lit up in relief. She knew he was alive. He was going to make it. That is, if Cardin didn't have anything to say about it. He saw Jaune standing now too and immediately tried to make a break for him. Blake wasn't about to have it and attempted to impede his progress. Russell managed to hold her off long enough for Cardin to get some distance away.

He shouted something that Jaune assumed was threatening and raised the mace above his head again. Jaune grimaced and pushed himself off the tree. He wasn't in exactly tip-top shape and he was also unarmed. He didn't know much about Aura but he guessed it wasn't infinite and if he took another hit like that he was probably going to die for real.

In short: He was in serious trouble.

He couldn't let that stop him now. He had just dodged death for the fifth time that day and wasn't about to take it for granted. Blake was counting on him now too. It was his goof-up that caused their current predicament. So it was up to him to fix it.

He raised his fists up to his face and took a boxing stance. It must have looked like a last-ditch effort to Cardin because he bust out into laughter, not that Jaune could hear it. Still, it pretty much was. There wasn't time for another plan as Cardin was upon him.

He swung the mace down and Jaune did the only thing he could think of. He threw dirt in his eyes.

He had been sure to scrape up a small patch when he was getting to his feet and it had saved his life. Cardin swung the mace too far to his left and hit only air as he coughed and sputtered while attempting to wipe his eyes clean.

Jaune didn't hesitate to use the opening to sock Cardin right in the nose with his bare fist. The bigger boy stumbled and Jaune punched at his wrist, disarming him once again. Cardin sneered defiantly and Jaune felt something inside of him snap. He couldn't be sure why. Maybe it was because the guy had almost blown him up? Maybe it was because he had been tag-teaming his partner? Maybe it was for the simple reason that the guy just plain seemed like a jerk. Regardless, his vision swam with red and he unleashed a vicious series of punches that the bigger boy simply had no chance of defending against. After nearly fifteen seconds of his relentless assault, Cardin fell backwards and didn't so much as twitch.

Jaune stood gasping for breath as his rage subsided and he realized that he was able to hear again. There was still a small ringing but even that was disappearing. Man, Aura was really something special if it was responsible for this kind of a speedy recovery.

"Jaune!" He looked up to see Blake running at him. Russell was also on the ground. He started to rise his hand for a high five but she quickly and brutally swatted it down. "I thought you died!" She snapped, jabbing him in the chest with an extended finger.

"Who? Me? Nah, I'm good." He attempted to joke about it but his voice came out hoarse and rough. It also didn't make his words sound convincing, but he pressed on anyways. "Thanks to you unlocking my Aura I am, anyways."

She didn't look pleased at all, but just then their scrolls updated. 'Congratulations to Jaune Arc and Blake Belladonna. You've won the duel and are allowed to continue the exam. As a bonus for winning, I'll give you a hint to find your teammates. Look up.'

That was all the message said.

"...Look up?" Jaune didn't understand. Blake and she only shrugged before pointing to the sky. They tilted their heads up and saw something rapidly descending towards them.

Rather than something... someone.

"Ruby!?" Jaune gasped as he recognized the person that was quickly entering a collision course with the ground.

"You know her?" Blake had also spoken briefly with her last night but had not expected to meet her again like this.

"Jaune! Blake! Help me!" Ruby was within earshot now and was desperately flailing for something to grab onto.

"...I'm going to regret this." Jaune grumbled and ran to where he was approximating Ruby would land.

"A little to the left, Jaune!" Blake called out helpfully.

"Left…" Jaune looked at his hands to figure out which way was left and then shuffled directly under Ruby in just the nick of time. He caught her/she crashed into him and they both ended up a pile of arms and legs on the ground. Fortunately for Ruby, Jaune had wound up on the bottom. "Damn... I think that's it for my Aura." He groaned.

"I owe you one." Ruby groaned too. Her Aura combined with landing on Jaune had definitely mitigated the fall but she was still pretty sore.

"So you're supposed to be our teammate?" Blake asked and extended a hand to help her up.

"How do you figure that?" Ruby pulled out the chess piece she was hiding and it was revealed to be the other white knight piece.

"We got a hint for beating up those two." Blake hiked her thumb behind her towards Cardin and Russell.

"Here's ours." Jaune recovered quickly enough even with low Aura and held up their piece. Ruby's eyes lit up in excitement as she realized that they were in fact on the same team. "By the way, where's your partner?" The excitement was just as quickly replaced with fear.

"Oh no... she's gonna kill me. Oh no, oh no!" Ruby began pacing in place and looked back into the sky for something.

"Ruby, calm down and tell us what's going on." Jaune placed a hand on the younger girl's shoulder. "Who and where is your partner? Also... why did you fall from the sky in the first place?" There had been so much going on the past few minutes he had forgotten how weird it was at all for people to just dive-bomb out of the air.

"Giant Nevermore. Weiss. Still up there! Angry!" Ruby spoke in broken panic that Jaune couldn't hope to decipher. So he turned to his partner.

"Her partner is Weiss Schnee. Somehow, they got on a Giant Nevermore and Ruby here jumped off, leaving her dear partner behind on it. She's quite understandably very upset."

"Ah." When Blake put it like that it all made sense. Well, it really didn't but what did anymore? Their scrolls updated once again as they scanned the skies for the massive black bird and Jaune decided to check it quick.

'Jaune Arc, Blake Belladonna, and Ruby Rose. You've technically completed your fourth task but seeing as you need four members to continue onto the next one, I am assigning you a bonus task. Find Miss Schnee and save her from the clutches of the Giant Nevermore. When you're successful, you'll be given your final task.'

"I swear this guy hates kids." Jaune looked to his two teammates for backup. Neither one of them was really paying much attention to him as they continued to scan for the Nevermore. He was going to join them when they heard a mighty _Caw_ from behind. They all spun around to see their target descending right for them. Rather, it was likely coming for Ruby.

"You must have really ticked it off." Jaune grumbled as it got closer and closer. He turned to Blake. She had pretty good vision. "Can you see Weiss?"

"Yeah, I see her." Blake nodded and Ruby let out a sigh of relief. "And she does not look happy." Ruby cringed. Blake's eyes narrowed and she frowned. "I think it's preparing for something…"

"Like what?" Jaune wasn't exactly sure what the Nevermore could do to them without coming down to the ground. If they were going to have a chance to rescue Weiss, they were going to have to wait for that. He looked back up at it just in time to see it launch a barrage of feathers at them. Feathers that looked really, really deadly.

"I'm guessing it was preparing to do that." Ruby pointed out not-so-helpfully.

"There's too many of them, we'll never be able to dodge! We gotta get clear!" Blake shouted and grabbed them both by the elbows.

"We'll never get clear in time." Jaune shook his head and searched the clearing for the one thing he knew could save them.

"Then what do we do? We don't exactly have a way of blocking them." Ruby took a nervous step towards him.

Finally, his eyes spotted it. "We need to get to my shield! It can protect us!" Without waiting for a response he began running. Blake, who was still holding his elbow was yanked along and in turn so was Ruby.

"Jaune! Are you sure about this?" Ruby didn't sound very convinced.

It was Blake who responded. "That thing took a strike from a Deathstalker without even denting! It'll work!"

"That's if we make it!" Jaune kept glancing anxiously between his shield and the oncoming feathers.

They were way too close now.

If they made it at all, it wasn't going to be by much.

He put on a final, adrenaline-filled burst of speed and reached for his shield.

The feathers were just above them. "Get beneath me!"

A mere five feet until impact and they would all be punctured to death.

He brought it above his head. Blake and Ruby huddled as closely to him as they could and the sound of feathers spearing the ground reached their ears. With several jarring thuds he felt them hit and ricochet off his great grandfather's shield. After several seconds the attack ended and the only sound that could be heard was their erratic breathing.

"D-did we make it?" Ruby peeked around Jaune's shoulder and he could only nod numbly in response. A miniature garden of black feathers taller than they were surrounded them. If one of those had hit them it would have skewered them completely through. In other words, they had almost died... again.

"That's the sixth time this day that I really thought I was going to bite the dust." Jaune's knees wobbled and he would have lost his balance if not for Blake and Ruby still clinging tightly to him.

"You're keeping count?" Ruby sounded surprised. Wasn't it common to count every time you thought you were going to die? It made living seem so much more worth it when you thought of all the horrible, violent deaths you had nearly been through... okay, maybe it wasn't all that normal. Or healthy.

"I don't think its realized we survived yet." Blake brought them back on track as she finally stepped away from the protection of Jaune's shield to view the Nevermore. "It's flying rather awkwardly. I think it's trying to debunk its passenger."

"We gotta get up there and save her!" Ruby ran a couple paces away and knocked down some of the feathers as she tried to determine the best way to get back on to it.

"We need a way to bring it down to us." Jaune mumbled. He lowered his shield and raised a hand to his chin. "If we could just clip its wings, we could finish it off on the ground…" He trailed off as he thought of ways to do that. If they could just get one of them up there while the others distracted it, that person along with Weiss could each damage a wing enough for it to collapse.

"Looks like you've got a plan?" Blake asked and he nodded.

"I'm going to hate this but can you get it's attention, Ruby? We need to get it as low to the ground as possible. I'll hop on it and together with Weiss will bring it down. Once it's on the ground it'll be up to you two to finish it off." He expected them to rebuke his plan on the spot so was utterly shocked when he got the reactions that he did.

"Aye, aye." Ruby saluted and pulled out her weapon which was still in gun form.

"You're going to need your sword if you're going to do anything." Blake pulled it out from behind her back and handed it to him.

He stared at it in disbelief. It had been on the ground on the other side of the clearing last he had seen it. "When did you-"

"I've got quick reflexes."

Before he could ask further, Ruby began shooting and the Nevermore responded with an angry screech. It turned back to them and once again descended. "Welp, I've got its attention! Now how do you plan to get up there?" That was actually a great question. He hadn't exactly thought that far ahead. But he had already pitched the idea and they were running with it. He had to get onto it now. There was no other option.

"I don't suppose your scythe could be used to give me a boost?" He looked to farming tool and almost immediately regret the question when she gave an almost intimating smirk, unfolding the weapon and causing the blade to gleam off the light of the sun.

"You bet it can! My baby can do anything!" She readied the weapon against the ground. Blake transformed the katana of Gambol Shroud to take over distracting the Nevermore. "Get ready, Jaune." Ruby licked her lips in anticipation and the sinking feeling Jaune had only got worse as he stepped up to the weapon. Tentatively, he placed his foot on the bottom of the blade, resting a hand on the shaft to maintain balance.

"You're really sure this is going to work?" His voice quivered and cracked as a sense of vertigo took over despite the fact that he was still mostly on the ground.

"Oh yeah. You ready?" Ruby's grin turned absolutely wicked as she reached for the trigger, silver eyes scanning the Nevermore for the perfect timing.

Jaune followed her gaze up to it and only then seemed to realize just how high in the air it really was. "You know what, I've changed my mind. I'll fight it after it's grounded. Blake, swap places with me."

"Sorry, Jaune. You're dealing with the Schnee Heiress." She smiled, not even having the dignity to turn and face him as she did. "Good luck." With that, Ruby pulled the trigger and the scythe kicked forward, whipping Jaune off of it akin to a slingshot.

"Ruby!" He screamed like a girl as he rocketed skywards. The wind beat viciously at his eyes but it wasn't anything he hadn't already dealt with before. He'd gotten through this type of thing once and he could do it again. His target was much higher off the ground... and was a violent monster hell-bent on destroying humanity. Okay, he'd handled that before too. Now he just had to handle those two things together this time. Falling and fighting Grimm... great.

That was if he landed on it at all. After reaching the arc of his flight, he began falling towards the Grimm but realized with fear that he wasn't getting nearly close enough to it. He had to find a way to slow down his fall so he would have enough time to make it closer. So he extended his arms and legs and let the wind grab him. It worked a little but not nearly enough. He still wasn't going to make it! If he missed, there was only the clearing beneath him too. He would die. Unless Blake or Ruby caught him?

All these thoughts became irrelevant as he landed smack on what he could only call a platform. "What the heck?" He pushed down on it and found it felt as sturdy as glass but somehow managed to not hurt at all when he had hit it. It was a white circle with what looked like a snowflake filling out the middle.

"Jump, you dunce!" That sounded like Weiss. He turned to see the Nevermore just starting to pass under him. He didn't need to be told twice and for the first time time that day willingly made the jump. He only fell half a dozen feet before landing on the back of the Nevermore, right next to Weiss. "What were they thinking when they sent _you_ up here to help me?" She cried out and gave him the most disgusted look she was probably capable of.

"No need to thank me Snow Angel. I volunteered to save you myself." He gave her his most charming smile and felt one of his teeth twinkle as it reflected the sunlight.

"My hero." She rolled her eyes. "I hope this means you at least have a plan to get us down?"

"As a matter of fact, I do." He paused for dramatic effect which she responded to by glaring at him. "We clip its wings."

Weiss continued to glare at him as she waited for him to continue. When it was obvious that he wouldn't she finally said something. "That's your big plan? You know the feathers of a Giant Nevermore are among the sturdiest defenses known to Grimm? Not just any blade can cut it. Myrtenaster might be able to do it but that's only one wing. We'll spiral out of control if you can't hold up your end."

"You're just gonna have to trust me. They're waiting down there for us to ground it." He was beginning to have his doubts about this plan now too, but they were already here. The more they delayed the more danger they put Ruby and Blake in. For their sake he had to do this.

Weiss seemed to reach the same conclusion and sighed rather loudly. "Fine. If we die, I'm blaming you!" With that she began crawling her way towards the right wing. He made his way towards the left. It took both of them only a couple seconds despite the force of the wind threatening to knock them off at any second. Once he was in position, right where the wingbone met the body, he turned to see if Weiss had made it too. She had.

They nodded at one another and pulled out their respective blades. He watched carefully as she raised the hilt of her sword above her head, the blade pointed down. He mimicked the action. Her sword began glowing red and she took the plunge, sinking it into the Giant Nevermore's flesh. It screamed out in pain so loudly Jaune had to fight the urge to cover his ears. Instead he followed suite and brought his sword down. Only for it to be deflected off of the feathers.

That wasn't good.

"Uh oh." He grabbed onto the feathers for support and not a moment later they began to spiral out of control. The wing Weiss had cut bent back unnaturally and no longer supported the Nevermore properly. Instead it acted as a hindrance to its balance.

"I thought you said you had it!" Weiss screamed as she was nearly flung off the side. She had barely grabbed ahold in time. To make matters worse, they were careening wildly and there was no way she was going to make it to this side to repeat what she had done.

"Technically, I only told you to trust me!" He regretted shouting. All the twisting and flailing the avian-Grimm was doing was starting to cause his motion-sickness to act up.

"Do something you dunce or we're both going to die!" She was right. He fought back the urge to barf and looked at the spot he had failed to stab earlier and made another attempt. It came out weak and sloppy as he couldn't get a good angle with all the constant twisting and turning. For a second they flipped upside down and he saw they were getting uncomfortably close to the ground. They flipped back upright and he nearly lost his grip and got separated from it.

"Jaune!" Weiss was pleading now.

"Damn…" Jaune grit his teeth and focused on his blade. This thing had been through countless battles. It had killed humans and Grimm alike. Some much more fearsome than this thing. Yet in his hands it was just an old relic. A hand-me-down that he didn't even deserve. He actually felt kind of bad for it. Did it hate him for ending up in his incapable hands?

As he continued to stare at the sword a white glyph formed at the bottom of the hilt, right above where his hand held it. It looked like the one that had saved him from falling earlier only much smaller. He looked to Weiss and she nodded at him. "Do it! That glyph will add the force to your strike that you need! Just please get us off this thing!"

Jaune nodded and realigned himself with no small amount of difficultly. He brought the sword up and drove it down. At first he met the same resistance as before. Then after a moment his sword seemed to push in on its own thanks to Weiss' glyph and he sliced into the tendon.

The Grimm lost control of that wing too and it naturally straightened itself out, both wings flapped back at an unnatural angle. It was just in the nick of time as they felt it crash into the ground and slide across it for several hundred yards. Trees were bowled over in its wake, causing hunks of bark, leaves, and branches to rain down on top of the two aspiring students.

After felt like an eternity, it skid to a stop. Jaune didn't move for a full thirty seconds. "Is it... dead?" A horrible screeching was its response. He and Weiss scrambled to their feet which turned out to be a poor decision as the Nevermore also chose that moment to stand. They were flung from its back and onto the hard dirt trail it had left from its excursion across the earth. It turned around and glared down at them, wings hanging limply at its sides. The two of them could only groan in pain as they tried to recover from their tumble.

"Now, Blake!" Ruby yelled and appeared to the right of the Nevermore's head. Blake appeared to the left. They swung their weapons simultaneously into its neck. Jaune watched in awe. They appeared to be suspended in midair as they attempted to cut through it. They screamed loudly in exertion as their weapons snapped through all at once. They met in the middle and their weapons clashed, popping the Nevermore's head clean off and sending it falling... right towards where Weiss and Jaune were.

"Ah man!" Jaune scrambled to his feet and dove for Weiss who was still hadn't recovered. He barely reached her in time but managed to roll them both away from the severed head. It hit the ground with a loud thud, followed only a moment later by its body as it toppled over. He looked at the dead Grimm with wide-eyes and gasped desperately for breath.

"Weiss…" Jaune poked the heiress that was laying unmoving on top of him. "...you okay?" His answer was an uppercut to the chin.

"Am I okay!?" She shrieked and quickly scrambled off of him. "Do I look okay to you!?"

"I'd say you look fine." Blake answered and landed nimbly next to her. "Rather chipper actually for having just been on a Nevermore for an extended period of time."

"Yeah... sorry again about that, Weiss." Ruby hid behind Blake's back and nervously waved at her partner.

Weiss clicked her teeth and attempted to glare at Ruby from around Blake. "At least he came up there and didn't abandon me. Unlike a _certain_ partner of mine."

"I told you to jump! You could've caught yourself with your glyphs!" Ruby attempted to defend herself.

"And have put ourselves at the mercy of it's Raining Feathers? I think not!"

"Oh, so you knew it could do that..." Ruby deflated but immediately perked back up. "But it worked out in the end, right? I even found our teammates after I landed."

"More like you landed on your teammates." Blake recalled rather fondly the moment Jaune tried to catch her and only half-succeeded.

"I'm gonna be sick." Jaune interrupted their discussion as he finally managed to crawl to his hands and knees only to puke his breakfast all over the ground.

"Vomit-boy returns!"

"Shut it, Crater-face."

He managed to grumble that before he heaved and spilled more of the contents of his stomach.

"Huh, that's actually fairly clever...and accurate." Weiss seemed to appreciate the nickname Jaune had given Ruby.

Blake walked up to him and rubbed his back comfortingly. "You did good up there."

He responded with a derisive laugh and wiped his mouth clean. "Weiss is the one who did everything. I wouldn't have even landed on it if she hadn't caught me. Let alone it was thanks to her that I managed to cut its wing."

Blake opened her mouth to respond but Weiss beat her to it. "You did fine. I told you that Giant Nevermore feathers are tough. Even with my aide it was a miracle you managed to hold up your end." He wasn't sure that made him feel better.

"What she's trying to say is that without you up there, she wouldn't have been able to cut the other wing at all. Take some credit. It was your plan and in the end you helped see it through." Was that really alright though? Maybe it would have been better if Blake or Ruby had taken his spot. But no, he wouldn't have been able to aid in cutting its head off. Was he just worthless no matter which end he was on?

He then heard the familiar ping as all four of their scrolls updated. He was starting to hate that noise and didn't even bother pulling it out to read. Not when he felt ready to puke again at any moment.

Blake pulled her scroll out and read it aloud for him. "Congratulations Jaune Arc, Blake Belladonna, Ruby Rose, and Weiss Schnee. You have successfully formed a team and are ready to face your final task. Located in Forever Fall is an old, abandoned airbase. Make your way to it before sundown tomorrow. There will be an airship waiting for you there. Board it to be lifted back off to Beacon. If you do not get on it you will be left behind and needn't return to the Academy. Best of luck and do try not to antagonize anymore big Grimm."

"Great. No pressure at all." He really did not like the idea of being left behind.

"The map to the base is included in the message." Blake flipped her scroll around so Jaune could see it. It looked quite far away. Getting to Forever Fall alone was going to take them until nightfall at best. Then it looked like they had to hike a full day's worth just to reach the airbase.

"We'd better set out at once if we're to have any hope of making it in time." Weiss took point and set off.

"Wait for me, partner!" Ruby dashed after her, leaving a trail of rose petals behind.

"You fit to travel?" Blake gently helped Jaune back to his feet.

"I'm still feeling a little sick, but I think I'm done throwing up." He hated that he had to look so uncool in front of her. He knew it shouldn't have mattered as she'd already seen him mess up plenty of times in the short amount of time they had been together, but this felt worse than all that. "My dad always said just be confident. Chicks dig confidence. Bu the more this test goes on, the more I feel like I don't actually belong here."

"You belong here, Jaune." Blake locked eyes with him and he could see she was being serious but that only made him feel more guilty. She didn't know about his transcripts.

"You guys coming?" Ruby called back to them.

"We need to go. We're on a schedule after all." Blake's gaze lingered on him a little longer than necessary before she nodded to the younger girl and jogged over.

"Right." Jaune mumbled and followed suite.

He had to at least pass this final test first.

Then he could decide his future here after he made sure they all still had one.

* * *

 **Chapter End**

* * *

 **AN:** The team is altogether!

I've pretty much covered all the Grimm experienced in the original initiation and as you may have noticed, this one is going a little bit different. I've seen too many stories just redo the Canon version with minimal differences here and there. So I decided to shake things up and change the way the tests went. Keep it fresh. At least, I like to think so.

Next time, the team makes it to their destination but a threat unlike anything they've ever faced stands before them. With time running out, Jaune makes good on his word to ensure the others pass... even if it means he won't.


	3. Overtime

Coeur Al'Aran was the beta for the original Auburn and helped me immensely during a period when we were both just getting started. Cover Art drawn by confections101 and a link to it is on my profile page. Jefardi is the one who finally kicked my butt into gear to do something about this story I had almost given up on.

* * *

 **Auburn**

 _Overtime_

* * *

Blake crept silently ahead of the rest of the group. Forever Fall was teeming with Grimm and it was getting harder and harder for them to traverse any ground without getting caught by a group of them. Their second day had been going for quite some time now and if she had to guess would say they had three hours until they needed to be to this airship that was supposed to take them home.

It was a feasible goal. That is if they could manage to quit fighting Grimm every thirty seconds. Fortunately, she couldn't make out any in the red forest ahead of them. She turned around and waved the group forward. Weiss, Ruby, and Jaune all appeared from around trees they had been using as cover and jogged to her. Weiss and Ruby continued past but Jaune paused by her side and gave a silent thumbs-up with a goofy smile. Blake responded with a subtle smile.

"Does it seem strangely quiet to anyone else?" It was Ruby that broke the silence that had claimed their group. They had been going by the unspoken rule of not saying anything for fear of alerting Grimm to their location but she had a point. It _was_ really quiet. Rather... it was downright silent. There wasn't a single breathing thing moving around them at all. Not birds in the sky, nor squirrels and other rodents bustling along the ground. She couldn't even hear the hum of insects that were an almost annoyingly constant presence.

"This isn't natural." Weiss seemed to agree with what Blake was thinking. The most disturbing part of all was that there weren't any Grimm. If there was something that even scared them away from the area... well, then they were in more than just a little bit of trouble.

"So this is like the calm before the storm?" Leave it to Jaune to put it with as little delicacy as possible.

"Whatever it is, I don't like it one bit. We should make haste." Weiss skipped ahead before she broke into a light jog. Blake hated to admit it but for once she was in agreement with the Heiress.

"Come on, Jaune. We're getting out of here." She grabbed his wrist and took off running after her. A trail of rose petals told her that Ruby had dashed forward as well.

"What do you think it could be?" Jaune gasped for breath as she dragged him at a pace that was just almost too quick for him.

"I don't know and I don't want to know. We just need to get out of this forest-" Her breath hitched as the trees broke away all at once and she was forced to skid to a stop before she ran smack into Weiss and Ruby. Together, the four of them stared in utter silence at the massive scenery that had opened up before them.

The lowering sun illuminated the landscape beautifully. Behind them was the edge of the forest which cut into the dense, red treeline they had just broken free from. Immediately ahead of them was a massive slope that slanted at a dangerous angle, leading them directly into the twisting wilderness hundreds of feet beneath them. Rolling rivers were visible for miles, only occasionally obstructed by pockets of orange and yellow trees. Where there weren't trees was lush, rich grass that looked so red it was almost as if it had been painted on by the deaths of hundreds of lives. However, none of this compared to the predominant feature of the landscape before them which were the dozens of twisting spires and flat mesas. Some of them appeared to extend several miles into the sky, as if attempting to stab at it. Two growing mountains to either side appeared to trap the peninsula in a gigantic fissure. Just beyond it all... was the endless blue sea.

"This is…" There were too many words Blake could use to describe it. This was land untouched by man, too far beyond their reach. It was beautiful and yet it was horrifying to look at. If she had to go with a description for it though, there was only one thing that properly came to mind. "...unlike anything I've ever seen."

Weiss snapped free from her stupor first and pulled out her scroll and began scanning her map. "The abandoned airbase is ahead of us. If I had to guess, I would say it's on one of those big mesa. It's the perfect spot for them to attempt to establish a route out here."

"If it's so perfect, why is it abandoned?" Jaune brought up an excellent question. So much land was visible in front of them and yet Blake didn't spy a single Grimm. How could that be? This far from civilization should be teeming with them. Why then did they have to abandon this airbase? Why didn't they attempt to cultivate this area? It didn't make sense.

"We can always ask them when we get there. We really need to keep moving. I do not want to have to run back through that forest because we missed our flight." It was once again Weiss that egged the group forward and began to slide down the slope that took them to the rolling landscape beneath them.

"This is something we would have never gotten to see if we hadn't decided to become Huntresses." Ruby took one last longing glance before she followed loyally after her partner.

"We're almost done. We can finally put this whole initiation behind us." Jaune grinned widely as he too started his way down.

"Jaune, you need to listen to me." Blake took pace right by his side. "There is something very dangerous down there. No matter what happens, we need to stick together. Do you understand me?"

"Of course." Jaune nodded at her and continued to grin. He didn't look nearly as frightened about this as Blake felt he should be. "We've overcome so much already together. There isn't anything that the four of us can't beat together. I'm certain of it." For once, it was Jaune who was sprouting off lines of confidence. Not his fake bravado either; It was real, genuine confidence. Confidence in his teammate's and his own ability to handle whatever it was that came at them. Blake had to admit, it really suited him. His father might have been onto something when he told him that all a guy needed was confidence.

It took them nearly ten minutes just to reach the bottom of their first hill. Down here, the spires seemed much more imposing. It was impossible to see the tips of some of them as the clouds passed through them. The sound of the crashing rivers and roaring waterfalls were the only noise audible to them and the air... was sickeningly sweet. Just what in the world was this paradise they had entered?

The blood-red grass was soft beneath their feet and felt comfortable even on their sore legs as they continued their trek. It was almost unbelievable that this place could be dangerous. They continued forward, every step causing them to forget their previous fear little by little.

They arrived next to their first spire and Blake was immediately impressed by its thickness. It was easily a hundred times as dense as any tree. The twisting rock it was made of was covered in moss and roots, giving it an incredibly ancient feeling. More than that, it felt... sacred. Almost as if it was something not to be disturbed or touched by mankind.

"I'm tired…" Ruby groaned as they passed it and continued forward. There were several more in the distance, some of their bases impossible to see thanks to the numerous hills.

"What are you, a child?" Weiss chided as she glared at her. "We've got about an hour until sunset and we're still a ways off from the mesa I think we need to be to."

"She is only fifteen and this is a lot of up and down walking, Snow Angel. Cut her some slack." Jaune immediately stepped to Ruby's defense.

"You pick up her slack then! I'm trying to keep us from failing!" Weiss spun on her heel and stormed ahead. "And stop calling me that!"

"I'm sorry." Ruby continued on, but clearly downtrodden.

"Hey, don't worry about it. She's just cranky from not getting her proper beauty sleep." Jaune jostled the younger girl's hair, getting a giggle. He then crouched down in front of her, earning a perplexed tilt of the head. "Hop on. I'll carry you for awhile." With a deep blush, Ruby obliged and got on his back. He wrapped his arms around her legs and began piggybacking her.

"Thanks." Blake's bow twitched as she heard Ruby quietly whisper into Jaune's ear.

It was only a few minutes before they ran into a problem. One of the rivers that they had seen cut across their path and it was running far too rapidly for them to simply cross without being swept away. To their left it went off a cliff and formed a waterfall. To their right was one of the pockets of trees they had seen earlier. It was a miniature forest in its own right now that they could see it up close.

"This is nothing." Weiss walked up to the edge of the river without fear and unhooked Myrtenaster from her belt. The dial at the end spun until was locked on the light blue and she stabbed at the river. In only an instant, a huge hunk of it froze to solid ice and formed a path for them to cross. They wasted no time doing so for fear of the river ripping their makeshift bridge apart.

The sky was beginning to dye with oranges and purples as the sun set lower and lower to the horizon. Their pace naturally quickened as the urgency of time became blatantly more apparent to all of them.

"Do you think there's an elevator to the top?" Jaune asked the question that Blake could only hope the answer was a yes. The mesa they were searching for was now distinctly in their sights but to their dismay, stretched impossibly high.

"My glyphs can get us up there easily enough. I won't fail just because there isn't something convenient like an elevator." Weiss and everyone's eyes were glued to the side of the structure ahead of them. It was their one and only goal right now. They were so caught up in it that they failed to notice the danger that was approaching them until it was almost too late.

It was Blake who felt it first. "Is the ground... shaking?" She wasn't sure if it was a trick of her tired legs which were shaking simply from the exertion she had put them through or if there was actually some external factor causing the ground to quake.

The others took pause and seemed to consider her question for a moment. Jaune was the first to respond. "The ground is definitely shaking. It's getting stronger too." Ruby was beginning to jitter around in his hold.

"It's not an earthquake, is it?" Weiss looked the most concerned of them as she kept shifting her gaze from the ground to the mesa.

"Actually... I think it's that." Ruby pointed to their left, away from the setting sun, and they all followed with their eyes.

"That's no earthquake." Blake's breath hitched at the behemoth Grimm that was charging them. It was still too far off to make out all the details, but from what she could tell it was not something they wanted to mess with.

"Should we run?" Jaune was already taking a few uneasy steps backwards. "We don't have much time before the sun sets."

"We should definitely run. Like now." Weiss' voice trembled but she didn't move.

"You don't have to tell me twice." Jaune didn't waste another second; He sprinted faster than Blake had ever seen him go before and that was with Ruby on his back too. She and Weiss were immediately on his tail.

"How did it even find us?" Ruby screamed, able to keep looking at it. The others didn't dare turn around. "We would've seen something that big way before it saw us, wouldn't we?"

"Who knows? It's a Grimm! They have all kinds of unusual abilities, most of them good for hunting humans!" Blake's legs were on fire. They had been sore before but now she was putting every fibre of her being into using them to propel herself forward. Her lungs greedily sucked for air but they couldn't possibly get enough. The trembling was getting so bad now it was almost impossible for them to run straight. They still easily had three hundred yards until they made it to the Mesa but there was another forest pocket just twenty to their right.

"Guys! It's on us! Like right this second!" Ruby's eyes hadn't left it and she was reaching for her weapon.

"Ruby! Distract it for a second!" Weiss unhooked her rapier. Blake took this as a good sign to unsheath Gambol Shroud. Jaune's sword came out and his shield popped open. They were ready.

"I'm on it!" Ruby's weapon transformed into a scythe and she flipped backwards and off Jaune. She fired off a round and it propelled her right towards the Grimm. As she did, all three of them spun around to face whatever it was.

Blake did not like their odds.

It had three different heads on its body. The one at the front was that of a lion. A big, black lion with the most evil red eyes she had ever seen. Its wild mane was dyed so black it looked like a deep abyss. The second head rode on its back and was that of a goat. The horns looped around and were made of dark gray Grimm armor. Its front legs were lion paws while it's back were goat hooves. The final head was on its tail and was a snake that made the King Taijitu look small by comparison. The whole thing was big. Just one of it's feet was as tall as they were and the rest of it scaled hopelessly over their heads.

This didn't stop Ruby from swinging right at its big face. Well, the first face she could. "Take this!" She cried as her scythe descended. It turned its head just slightly and she struck the lion's mane only to have her blow completely deflected. Blake could only sympathize as the younger girls eyes widened in shock and she flipped backwards and away.

"What the Hell is that thing?" Jaune's knees were shaking as he stared up at the monstrosity before them.

"It's a Chimera-class Grimm." Weiss stabbed her sword into the ground and a path of ice spikes trailed towards the Chimera. It gave a mighty roar and swung it's paw. The ice shattered before it even made it to it.

"What does that mean?"

"It means we're in trouble." Blake answered Jaune's question before charging forward to land a strike of her own. They had to keep it confused by constantly charging at it independently. All three heads seemed to still be analyzing them. So they only had a small window before it began attacking in earnest.

That small window appeared to be up as the lion head roared, the goat bleated, and the snake hissed. Blake skid to a halt but she was right in front of it. The lion's mane began shaking violently. It was a horrifying sight. Like thousands of snakes were wiggling about. Then it came to life and began stretching out. Four spears made of the hair extended all at once; One for each of them.

Blake left behind a clone and dodged with just a second to spar. She turned to see Jaune had shielded himself while Weiss and Ruby were both protected by the former's glyph. "Blake! Behind you!" She turned to see the snake head lunge.

"Damn!" She dropped to the ground and it skirted over her head. Then pulled back and poised itself to strike again. Meanwhile, she heard the goat inhale. She could only spare a brief glance before she had to dodge again. It spit a horrible green liquid from its mouth that flew right at Jaune.

He raised his shield to deflect it. "Dodge, you dunce!" Weiss and Ruby were holding off all four of the tendril-like spears that were made of the lion's mane.

Jaune froze up for just a second. Then he rolled, the green spit hitting the ground and immediately melting a hole. "Thanks, Snow Angel! I knew you cared!" He yelled before another acid-loogie flew at him. Weiss didn't have the time to respond as more pieces of the mane broke off and were beginning to overwhelm her and Ruby.

This was falling apart for them very quickly. They had been divided up by the heads and if they didn't do something they were going to be picked off one by one. The problem was that communicating with one another was almost impossible. She was putting all her effort into just surviving at the moment and the others were doing the same. If they tried looking out for each other it would only get themselves killed. She had to take control of her own fight if she was going to help someone else.

She dodged the snake once again and sliced at it with Gambol Shroud. Predictably it had no effect. She was going to need to get momentum to do any real damage but that thing was swinging around so quickly and fluidly that she couldn't even get a clean hit in, let alone a powerful one.

The snake pulled its head back and loomed over at her. This posed another problem. A normal snake was restricted to the ground. This one dangled in the air, giving it a whole different range of ways to come at her. It let out a low, long hiss and once again made a jab for her. She left a clone and dodged to the right. It struck the ground, sending hunks of dirt and grass flying in every direction. She landed right next to it, this time determined to stab its piercing red eye.

"Blake!" Before she had the chance, Jaune tackled her out of the way. She looked to see the snake head pull back up and a wad of acid strike the ground she had just been standing on. Jaune had just saved her life.

"Thanks." They both scrambled to their feet and Jaune nodded in response. They stood side-by-side, watching now for both the snake and goat heads.

"Weiss and Ruby are gonna make a break for it here in a second. When they get here, we're gonna go for the snake head first. Then the goat. We'll end it with the lion. It's the only strategy we got." He quickly filled her in on the plan the others had somehow formed while she was busy with her end. Not a second later they had to split from one another just in time to dodge the snake. She left a clone that was then hit by a wad of acid.

"Jaune! Blake! Hang on!" Ruby and Weiss were coming in at high speeds and Blake knew it was time to put a plan in action if they had one.

"Weiss! Freeze it down!" Jaune called and the Heiress reacted. She stabbed the ground and a trail of ice travelled up to the low-hanging head. The snake was frozen to the ground just below it's head, keeping it low to the earth. "Ruby! I'll give you a boost! Get above it! Blake get below! Do to it what you did to the Nevermore!"

"Right!"

"You got it!"

Ruby vanished in a blur of roses and appeared above Jaune. He was already crouched with the shield above his head. She fired her gun and was launched into the air. She arched herself above the snake just as Blake got beneath it. Weiss waved her rapier and two more glyphs appeared; One above Ruby and one below Blake. "Use them as a boost!" She commanded. More of the tendrils from the lions mane were about to strike her in the back. Jaune rose to his feet and intercepted them, allowing her to focus.

"Do it!" He shouted.

Ruby gave a yell and kicked off her glyph. Blake did the same. Their blades dug into its neck at the same time and just like they had done once before, they popped its head clear off.

The other two heads of the Chimera gave very different cries. The tail broke free from the ice and begun swinging around wildly. The mane retracted back to the lion's face and it began stamping the ground with its paws while bucking with its hooves. The ground shook horribly as it threw its tantrum and they all nearly toppled over.

"We need to get the goat now, right?" Blake wanted nothing more than to take a breather but time was running out very, very quickly. They had maybe fifteen minutes before the sun set and that was being generous. That was fifteen minutes to cut off two more heads, run three hundred yards to the mesa, scale it to the top, and board a ship.

Yeah, not good.

"What's the strategy for that?" Ruby turned to her partner and Jaune anxiously mimicked that look.

"We need to get up there, first. The base of its head is huge and those horns pose a major problem but not nearly as much as that disgusting spit, so we'll have to pincer it from the sides. Arc and Belladonna should take one end while we take the other. As long as we can destroy its brain it should be easier than cutting its head off. Besides, it'll be more of a hindrance still attached to the body."

"Then let's go." Ruby cocked her scythe and an empty shell tumbled out.

"Wait, something's wrong!" Blake put an arm in front of the younger girl and they all took notice of the Chimera. It was still thrashing but the tail had quit flailing around like a broken cord and now shot backwards, ramrod straight. It started pulsing. At first it was slow. The time between each pulse got quicker until it was happening multiple times a second. A sick gushing sound reached their ears and the severed part of the tail began growing... until the head of the snake returned as if it hadn't been cut at all.

"Now that's just cheating…" Jaune's arms fell helplessly to his sides. Blake couldn't help but agree with him.

"Is it immortal?" Ruby wondered aloud.

"It can't be." Weiss shook her head. "It likely either has a central heart or all three heads operate independently. If the latter is the case we would have to cut them all off simultaneously to kill it."

"That's about as possible as locating the heart, assuming it only has one of those." Blake didn't want to admit it, but there was just no way they were going to kill this thing. They were foolish to think they could have ever taken it on at all.

"I agree. We need to run." Weiss sheathed her sword as the Chimera still appeared to be reorienting itself.

"Run where? It's faster than us simply because of its size." Jaune looked back towards the mesa but even Blake knew they would never make it.

"There's a forest behind us. Maybe we can lose it there?" They all looked at one another and nodded at Ruby's suggestion. It was much closer to them and if they had any chance at all of getting away it was going to be in there.

"Run and live. Finally you people speak my language." Jaune's shield retracted and he slid his sword away. A moment later and he was was on the run again. The rest joined him but it was only after a dozen feet that they heard - or rather felt - the Chimera give chase.

"Don't turn around!" Weiss screamed as she appeared to skate across the earth. "Just run right into the the trees! Once you've gotten in, if it's not after you try to head north and make a break for the airbase!"

Blake didn't want to be the pessimistic one. Their plan was sound enough and really was the only viable thing at all at this point. There was just one major problem. It had found them from leagues away for seemingly no reason. This thing was an excellent hunter. There wasn't getting away without someone drawing it off. That meant someone would have to be left behind. It was the unfortunate reality of the situation.

They were ten yards to the forest and she could feel its breath on her back now.

Each step it took on its stampede threw her a little into the air.

It was seconds away from mauling them.

Fifteen feet to the forest.

Its legs were visible to her left and right without even having to turn her head. If she looked up, the lion's head would without a doubt be directly above her.

A final burst of speed and they crashed into the trees. The sound of them being uprooted and an angry roar told them that it wasn't about to give up just because they broke line of sight.

A whole tree trunk flew over her head and landed in front of her. Orange and yellow leaves were scattered in every direction. She paid it no mind and jumped clear over it. A bleat from the goat head told her that she was putting some distance on it but she also realized that her teammates' footsteps were scattered a distance away. They had been forced to separate in order to make it around the dense foliage and with a glance around she didn't immediately see any of them.

"North!" Weiss yelled a little to her right. The Chimera heard it too. Blake took off running in the sound of the voice but to her distress it sounded like the Chimera was running that way too. It was lumbering towards where her voice had just come from.

"Over here you stupid Grimm!" That voice the other way caused her heart to drop.

Jaune.

The Chimera paused and changed directions. She could see its huge black mass moving even through the trees. "That's right! Follow me!" His voice was getting farther away as he ran in the opposite direction they should be heading.

The crack of a branch behind her caused her to spin around and see Ruby tumble by.

"Jaune's calling it off for us to get away." Blake informed.

"We need to go help him." Ruby didn't hesitate to say back. The Chimera was getting farther away, but it was still easily visible due to its size.

"No, let him." Weiss appeared from a nearby tree.

"What?!" Blake heard Ruby's voice overlap with her own.

"Keep it down, don't let that dunce's sacrifice be for nothing." Blake instinctively reached for Gambol Shroud and took a threatening step forward.

"How dare you call him that after you're ready to just allow him to throw away his life for us!" She reached forward to grab Weiss by the neck but Ruby's timid hands snatched her wrist first.

"Please, don't fight! We need to go save Jaune!" She looked with pleading eyes at Weiss.

She only rolled her eyes at them and Blake clenched her fist. It was all she could do not to break her hand free from Ruby's grip so she could punch the snotty Heiress. "Look, we won't get away at all if someone doesn't stay behind. I'm just being practical. We'll get to the airbase and inform them of what happened and they'll fly down and pick him up. They can't expect to leave him to the claws of that _thing_. We're not even students yet. We weren't trained for this."

Ruby faltered. "S-She might have a point."

"He won't last until we get back! One person can't possibly outrun that Grimm on their own! The amount of cover doesn't matter." Blake seethed and yanked her wrist free from Ruby's grasp. "I'm going after him."

"Do what you want. I'm getting to the airbase. Ruby, come on." Weiss turned and walked away but Ruby didn't move. She looked nervously at Blake and then back to Weiss.

"I-I'll stay too. I can't abandon Jaune. He was my first new friend." She began to pull out her weapon again but Blake placed a hand on her arm.

"Go with Weiss. I'll make sure to keep Jaune alive. I need someone I can trust to make sure that that airship comes for us. Commandeer it if you have to. We're counting on you." Ruby hesitated for a moment before she nodded vigorously. She then dashed forward and embraced Blake in a hug. She blinked in surprise before gently returning it for a second. "Hurry and go." She whispered into her ear.

Ruby pulled away and fought back tears. "You both better be alive when I come back. I will without a doubt come back. Keep that stupid jerk alive."

"I will."

Ruby smiled through the tears that were now falling. In a flurry of petals she was gone and after Weiss.

Blake looked up to the sky. The last rays of orange were settling in and the sky was almost completely purple. They were about out of time. Ruby and Weiss would barely make it if they were lucky. Jaune and her, well... they were screwed.

She smiled bitterly.

So this was it, huh? She turned and ran after her one and only friend. At least if this was the end she would be facing it with him.

* * *

Jaune would admit, he had better ideas. Then again, since he got ahold of those fake transcripts it seemed his life was a series of just bad ideas. This one probably took the cake. Luring off that Grimm was without a doubt going to get him killed in short order.

He ducked behind a tree and peeked around. He had been able to outmaneuver it long enough for the sun to have gone down but now the pitch black Grimm was hard to see with it blending into the night sky. It was not hard to hear, however. Every lumbering step it took and the ground shook. Its massive body knocked trees over just by bumping into them. It then roared in frustrated anger.

He took a couple cautious steps backwards, very careful not to make much noise. The Chimera had incredibly good hearing and if even one head caught the tiniest sound it would be on him in seconds. Then he would be back to square one and forced to make another mad scramble. The sound of something slithering through the brush made him lock up in fear.

The snake portion of the Chimera was gliding through the trees, peeking here and there for him and sniffing the air, hoping to catch his scent. If he didn't move soon it was going to pick up his trail, but he had to fight every urge to bolt. Running recklessly was going to get him caught just as quickly.

Slowly but surely he creeped backwards and away from the Chimera. Maybe he was going to make it? But where would he go if he got away? The sun had set which meant the airship would have already departed. He was stranded out here on his own. Even if he survived this encounter it was only a matter of time before something else killed him. He had all of Forever Fall to hike through before he got to Vale and the city was quite further away than Beacon was. It would take him at least three days of just walking. He would be too exhausted to fight off a lone Beowulf, let alone whatever else came for him. Maybe it would just be better to get it over with? That Chimera looked like it could swallow him in one bite. Surely that would be a quick, painless death.

No, no, no. He had survived way too much crap to just give up now. If and when he died, he was going to die swinging the whole way. That was the least he could do for the ones he let get away. He really missed them right about now. Beautiful, beautiful Weiss. She may have a sharp personality but she was exceptionally skilled. The way she had just taken command of the group had put him at ease and she was just so much fun to tease. Sweet, quirky Ruby. She was his first new friend at Beacon and already felt like a little sister to him.

Blake…

It almost made him cry to think he would never see her again. They had been through so much in just the two days they had spent together. Was it really only two days? It felt like he had known her for months. The constant threat of death probably had something to do with that.

A twig snapped beneath his foot and the snake jerked its head towards him. Then came the thundering steppes of the main body as the rest gave chase.

"Just give me a break already." He sighed and turned to run. He only took a step before running smack into someone else.

"Blake?!" He blinked twice to confirm it was her. When she didn't vanish he knew she was real.

"Come on!" She grabbed his wrist and yanked him with her as she ran.

"What are you doing here? I stayed behind so you guys could get out of here!" Despite what he said he couldn't help but feel a little happy that she came back for him.

"I'm gonna kick your ass for deciding that on your own later! First we need to survive!" Blake sounded really, really angry. He had to admit, he would be pissed if she had done the same so he couldn't really fault her. He was quite afraid of that ass-kicking she promised though.

Wait, she just said after they survived just now. "Do you have a plan to get us outta this?"

"Ruby's going to turn that ship back around for us. She's coming back for us so we just have to hold out." That was reassuring to know. There was a slim chance he was still going to make it out after all. Like Blake said: They just had to hold out. Which was going to be unfortunately tricky.

He heard the goat spit again and turned around to see a glob of acid flying directly at them. "Blake, down!" He wrapped his free arm around her waist and dove both of them to the right. They hit the ground just as the acid struck a tree they had been running towards. With a burning hiss, it ate through the trunk and the tree collapsed into the forest. It didn't end there. The acid set the trunk ablaze and fire spread almost immediately as a crashing step from the Chimera sent the flames scattering in all directions. "Great, now we gotta outrun a Grimm and a wildfire."

He scrambled to his feet, pulling Blake up with him as he did. The fire was jumping from tree to tree, being spread by all the wind the Chimera made when it moved as it thrashed around looking for them. Its red eyes squinted against the suddenly bright flames and obscure smoke. At the very least it was providing them some cover.

"We gotta keep moving, Jaune." Blake tugged at his wrist and he nodded. They turned to run and a flaming branch collapsed in front of them, barring their path. "This feels familiar." She smirked with facetious mirth.

"Running for our lives while the world around us is attempting to collapse on our heads?" He just really hoped he didn't get hit in the head again. That rock had hurt but if something knocked him out _and_ set him on fire then he would be done for.

"This way." She turned to their right and took off, pulling him along again. The Chimera roared and stomped after them, knocking over trees and sending flaming debris launching into other parts of the forest, only spreading the fire further. It had only started a second ago but thanks to the Grimm's efforts it seemed the whole area around them was ablaze. No matter where they went, burning branches surrounded them.

They both coughed and stumbled forward. The smoke was becoming thicker and the whole area was alight with an orange glow. Jaune's lungs desperately sought fresh air and he was overwhelming hit by fatigue as it failed to collect any. Seriously, how was his body even still functioning?

"We need to get out of this forest!" Blake doubled over and coughed hoarsely. "We'll suffocate from all this smoke."

"We don't even know what way out is." He attempted to squint into the distance but his eyes watered as the smoke obscured his vision. A foot of the Chimera crashed down right next to them, causing them to jump and sprint away. Trees were torn apart as more tendrils made from the lions mane skewered the area they had been occupying.

"It can't be far!" She switched her grip from his wrist and just wrapped an arm around his and leaned heavily against his body. She was gasping horribly for breath and he could only imagine he was too.

If they didn't find it in the next minute, they were screwed. Not that leaving the forest was going to be much better. For all the trouble it was giving them it was making things just that much harder for the Chimera too. Once they ran out into the open, they were going to have no choice but to engage it again and that hardly seemed like a good idea for two soot-covered, air-deprived teens.

"I think I see the exit!" Blake shook him and nodded to their right. "If anything, maybe we can escape this smoke." He nodded and they took off again. Their pace was a slow jog at best now. It was a miracle the Chimera didn't catch up to them but he could only imagine how smokey it was above the trees. That thing probably couldn't see at all. And this wildfire was loud. Any noise they made was likely completely drowned out.

In another couple seconds, Jaune saw what Blake was talking about. It definitely looked like an out to him. With a small, hope-filled burst of speed they broke out of the burning forest... and nearly tumbled off a ledge.

"What the hell is this?" What kind of luck did they have? It wasn't an outright cliff they had stumbled into but rather, some kind of rocky slope that bent away and went off to God-knew-where. It looked kind of like a giant dirt slide to him but there was no way for them to safely traverse down it. Then again, safety might have to be damned. With a burning forest and a Chimera being what was behind them, this was without a doubt the easy choice. He pulled out his sword and allowed his sheath to expand into a shield.

"What're you doing?" Blake turned to him and back to the slope in front of them. She also glanced behind them. The Chimera was running at them again. He could hear it.

"Ever been sledding?" He asked and pulled her as close to him as he could. With a thud, he dropped the shield face down at his feet.

"What?" He didn't respond. Instead he kicked his shield onto the slope and jumped after it. He landed on it on his butt with Blake on his lap. The moment they hit it and the shield accelerated. The Chimera broke free from the trees not too much later, sending some of them flying down after them. "Jaune! This is crazy!"

"I know!" He agreed and leaned left, barely avoiding one of the flaming trees that landed directly in front of them. Then he had to shift right to dodge another one. They were moving so quickly now everything was a blur. And now the bend was coming up. Flaming logs rolled after them from behind. Where the bend led, Jaune had no idea but it had to be better than getting smashed by burning logs.

"Can you turn this thing?" We're going to crash if you don't!" Blake was yelling directly in his ear, not that she had much choice. " And it's still chasing us!" After she said this, he could hear the thundering steps of the Chimera as it ran down the slope after them.

"Can't you give me some good news for once!" He held his sword so the blade was pointing to the ground. When they came to the bend he dug it into the ground and nearly felt his arm get ripped from his socket. Still, he held tight and spun them at a ninety degree angle. They made the turn and he pulled his sword out. They continued down the slope for a few seconds before a giant crashing sound told him the Chimera hadn't been so lucky and had run smack into the wall in front of it.

"I think it just caused an avalanche. There's boulders rolling after us now." She was still staring behind them, but sounded much more calm now.

"Seriously, would it kill you to give me good news?"

The wind was blowing so hard into his eyes it was obscuring his vision. He couldn't tell if they were heading for another bend or if there were any obstacles in his path. Truthfully, they were careening at speeds far too high for him to make proper adjustments anymore anyways. To top it off, they couldn't afford to slow down unless they wanted to get buried alive.

Yeah, this was going great. Hey, let's go sledding. It'll be _fine_. He hated the him from thirty seconds ago right now.

"It looks like there's a cliff in front of us. We're gonna go over it." Was Blake broken? She gave him that news as calming as if she was reporting the weather. "The moon is out, so at least you'll be able to watch as we plummet to the ground."

"I know you tried presenting that as good news but seriously, that just depressed me more." Just then he felt the ground beneath them vanish.

They had gone off the cliff and had entered freefall.

Again.

He was freaking spiraling through the air as he fell to his death again.

This was the third freaking time.

It didn't even frighten him like it did the first couple times.

Now it just made him mad that it seemed to keep happening.

He looked beneath them and grabbed his shield. Pale white sand that was illuminated by the broken moon's light was their destination. Just in front of them was the sea. It looked so peaceful and still. The moon reflected beautifully off its calm surface.

"I don't suppose your semblance is gonna be able to save us from going splat?" He turned to Blake and she nodded. "Good, good. Any time now would be awesome." They were starting to get really close to the surface and his stomach lurched at the idea of turning into a red blob on the ground.

Blake rolled her eyes but did as requested and made a clone that they were able to kick off of. They hit the ground running. He looked up and saw the avalanche had been just behind them. The wave of dirt and boulders crashed into the ground and the impact shook the earth so violently that they were thrown off their feet and face first into the sand. It continued for a solid thirty seconds before finally trickling to a stop, leaving a massive mountain of debris behind them. Yeah, he was really glad he had not been hit by that.

He then took in his surroundings. The moon illuminated everything quite nicely for him so he didn't need to rely on Blake's awesome night-vision anymore. To their right was the sea. To the left an unscalable cliff. Behind them was the now finished avalanche. The path ahead of them was clear.

A moonlit beach stroll sounded like a nice, stress-free way to end the evening to him.

"At least we lost the Chimera."

He spoke too soon.

It landed directly in front of them.

The snake hissed, the goat bleated, and the lion roared.

"Oh come on!" He had to re-evaluate their options.

In front of them was the Chimera.

To their right was the sea.

To their left an unscalable cliff.

Behind them was a mountain of debris.

They were screwed. That was it. They were done. Game over.

He broke into laughter and dropped to his knees. His sword and shield hung limply at his sides. The Chimera made no move to lunge at them. Instead, it seemed content to lie in wait and stalk them at its leisure. It knew they were done just as much as they did.

"I guess this is it, huh." Blake sat down next to him and gave a sad smile. "Any regrets?"

"Ha, too many to count." He shook his head and smiled back at her.

"Yeah, me too." Maybe it was because it was the end but they talked with no tension between them at all. It could also have been because they were just way too exhausted to care anymore. "I... just wanted to atone for all the awful things I'd done. This world is such a terrible place and I thought maybe there was some way I could make it better. But in the end, it seems like I only ever made it worse."

Jaune shrugged. "I don't know about any of that or what you did before this. But, well, if it makes you feel better, I think you made my life better. Even if it was only for two days. That's gotta count for something." She smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder. He would take that to mean his words had meant something then. "Man. If I had to say the thing I regretted the most…" He paused and thought about it.

There were just so many things. How could he possibly name one of them? What was it he thought when he was first falling yesterday? At the very beginning of all this. Oh yeah, it was that.

"...I really wanted to have my first kiss before I died. Guess that'll never happen."

Blake tilted her head and smiled coyly. "I can solve that for you."

"What do you mean?" Jaune blinked at her and his brain locked up in confusion. "How-" He was cut off as something warm pressed up against his lips.

His frozen brain kicked into overdrive and worked to process what was happening. Blake's words and then her proximity to him. Her eyes were closed and her face was up against his, which could only mean one thing.

She was... kissing him.

And damn did it feel awesome.

Her lips were so soft and warm. They tasted slightly of blood and sweat but even that didn't put a damper on it. Without even thinking about it, he leaned back into her, both lips capturing her lower one between his. A lone hand reached up and pressed against her cheek and she leaned into the touch. Then just like that, it ended.

He blinked in shock. The moment felt like an eternity and like it didn't even last a second all at once.

Blake blushed a shade of red he never thought capable, yellow eyes averting to look at the sand. "Don't get the wrong idea but seeing as we're going to die anyways I figured it wouldn't hurt to fulfill your last wish." She played with the sand, picking it up and letting grains fall between her fingers. "I had no real attachment to who I gave my first kiss to anyways so you were better than anyone. Besides, it wasn't half bad." She smiled, shyly, almost girlishly. It was the most beautiful expression he had ever seen her make.

"Satisfied?" That question finally forced him to get his mouth working.

"Not at all." She blinked. Then finally looked back at him, now taken aback. But he wasn't done yet.

"That was amazing!" He declared and hopped to his feet. "I had no idea a kiss was like that! If I get to experience that again by living then I'm going to do whatever the Hell it takes!" He glared at the Chimera and pointed his sword at it in a declaration of war. "You hear that you ugly monster? I'm going to live!" All three heads responded with their respective roars.

"I'm honestly not sure if I should feel flattered or dumbfounded right now. Was it really that great for you?"

He didn't answer and instead continued to glare at the Chimera until it made its move. It wasn't one he expected though. Instead of charging at them, it stood with its lion head leaned back and mouth wide open. The goat head leaned forward and opened its mouth too. Then the snake hung over both of them and did the same. At first it looked like nothing was happening but then... he could see a black orb forming at the spot where their mouths hung open. It began growing in size and soon was bigger than even the Chimera itself

"That... doesn't look good." Blake had yet to rise from her sitting position. "I'd hate to bring you down but I'm sensing a ton of dark energy coming from that thing. It'll likely wipe out whatever it touches."

"I don't care. I'm gonna make it outta this. We're both gonna make it outta this." He took a step forward and positioned himself in front of her. He then raised his shield up.

"Jaune…" She clearly didn't share his sentiment. She had given up. That was fine. He would show her that they could both survive. He just needed to be confident enough for both of them.

The orb quit growing and then began compacting as if it were squeezing in on itself. It got small enough to fit in its mouth... which might have been the point cause the lion ate it. All three mouths closed tight and the Chimera bloated unnaturally as the energy swelled inside it.

"Now I see." Blake whispered just as the lion opened its mouth. A bright orange beam fired directly at them. It was huge, taking up more space than either of them were capable of moving so there was no dodging to the side of it. He could only watch as the sand beneath it disintegrated at the touch and to top it off, it was fast. It was going to be on them in a second.

He locked his mouth in grim determination and bent down so one knee was on the beach and hid behind his shield. He checked behind him once more to make sure Blake was completely obstructed too. She could only stare at him with wide-eyed disbelief. He was really going to try to save them.

He turned back and the beam connected.

It struck his shield and he was pushed backwards against the sand and almost right into Blake.

Still, it held. He heard her gasp behind him as the beam of energy scattered around them on all sides. His hair singed and the outer layer of his sleeves and pants start to smoke.

His grip on his shield weakened and he slid another couple inches backwards. He grit his teeth and held on for dear life anyways. Then he felt a pressure on his back and Blake's hands wrapped overlapped with his own, helping him hold up the shield. "You can do this, Jaune! I'm sorry I gave up. Just hold on and we'll make it! I don't know what we'll do after this but if it's together with you then I'm sure it'll work itself out. I just have this feeling that it will."

He grinned and redoubled his efforts. After what felt like an eternity, the blast subsided and they were thrown into relative darkness. It wasn't that the moonlight was dim, but compared to the light show that had just enveloped them it seemed to be in comparison.

The sand in front of them was completely gouged away right up to where they stood. The gouge continued past on both sides and as he followed it backwards he saw that the mountain of rubble that had been left by the avalanche ceased to exist. The only thing thing that hadn't been effected was a small trail behind them that was about the width of his shield.

"What is that thing made of again?" Blake tapped it with her knuckle but pulled away quickly. It was scorching hot. A searing pain in Jaune's hands caused him to drop it and he realized that he had been so focused on keeping them alive that his hands were covered in burns and blisters from the heat that was radiating off the shield. It had burned right through his gloves, which were in tatters, some of the leather having fused with his skin. It hurt like a bitch now that he was aware of it and he had to fight back tears. "Jaune." Blake gently cuffed his hands and frowned in concern.

"I'm fine. We still gotta deal with that thing." He nodded to the Chimera which was staring silently at them. It likely couldn't believe that they were alive and was re-evaluating them as they spoke. Jaune attempted to pick up his sword but gasped in pain and dropped it before he even got it completely off the ground. He wasn't going to be able to fight like this.

"Don't worry about it, Jaune. I've got this." Blake got to her feet and took a couple steps forward.

"You can't fight it by yourself!" He hurriedly tried to grab his sword again but once again a stab of pain caused him to fail. He couldn't allow Blake to handle this on her own. She would die. Stupid hands. Work dammit.

"I didn't think you could stop that blast and you did. It's my turn now." Blake held Gambol Shroud in front of herself and prepared for combat.

The Chimera roared in response.

Then they heard something that sounded like a cannon go off. Off behind the Chimera was a girl who seemingly appeared out of thin air and was now flying directly at the giant Grimm. "Who the heck is that?" Blake only shook her head at Jaune's question. She appeared to be a student about their age and she was wielding what looked like a giant hammer.

The goat and snake turned to look at her but she was already upon them. "I hope you're hungry!" She yelled as she swung the hammer at the goat head. It smashed into the side of its face and a pink explosion bowled the whole Chimera over and onto its side. She flew backwards and landed nimbly on her feet.

"This girl is nuts!" He couldn't believe she had just charged in to take on the Chimera by herself.

"She's got backup." Blake noted a new boy clad in green as he jumped in and began engaging the snake before it was able to lunge at the girl. The main body was still struggling to get to its feet as several bullets rained down on it, followed by a red and gold javelin. They turned up to see that girl who was on the cereal box along with... Ruby's sister, Yang!

"Blake! Jaune!" A moment later and Ruby landed next to them before lunging at the still sitting knight. She tackled into and knocked him over, wrapping him in a bone-crushing hug and weeping into his chest armor. "I thought I was too late!" He could barely make out her words as she spoke into his body.

"We had almost given you guys up." Weiss landed with a soft thud. "I know it looks bad, but I really did mean to come back for you both. I'm... well, I'm glad to see we were wrong and you're both alive." She smiled at him, as warmly as she could anyways.

Blake inclined her head slightly but turned back to the Chimera. Jaune followed her gaze to see the other four still battling it. "We're not out of the woods yet. That thing isn't going down without a fight and both Jaune and I are about out of energy to lend much of a hand."

"Just leave it to Pyrrha and her team. They've got this." Weiss put a hand on her hip and nodded at them, the closest thing to respect Jaune had ever seen her give. Still, he didn't think a single team could possibly handle that thing on their own, no matter how many boxes of cereal your face had been on. Several seconds later and it became very evident that they weren't alone as the low hum of machine-gun fire echoed over the beach.

Yang and Pyrrha were wailing on the goat head, keeping it pinned to the earth while the other two whittled at the snake head. The lion had just been starting to rise and gain control of its limbs when a flying bullhead opened fire on it, quickly turning its face into a pin-cushion, spraying blood, bone, black hair, and brains all over the sandy shore.

"Who's in the bullhead?" Blake could only nod in appreciation and maybe a little disappointment as the creature that had given them so much hassle was gunned down by simple technology.

"My dad!" Ruby chirped, clearly proud of the fact. She had mentioned that he was a teacher at Signal so maybe it wasn't too much of a surprise that he was helping out at Beacon for the exam, since the school's were affiliated. Still, it wasn't a twist Jaune saw coming.

With the lion's head down, there was only a small window for the others to finish their respective targets. Pyrrha drilled her weapon right into the goat's eye while Yang wailed on the back of its head. It let out a dying bleat and seemed to stop all function. The eastern-boy knocked the snakehead onto the sand and with a powerful smash from the hammer, the girl blew it into hundreds of pieces.

Killing it once and for all.

He couldn't believe it. They had done it. And all of them had survived. Like Blake, he almost felt a little disappointed. That thing had been terrifying and impossible. Then this team came out of nowhere, backed up with a high-powered gatling gun and it went down just like that? Still, he really couldn't complain.

"Now that's what I'm talking about! Why didn't we run into that thing when we were heading to the airship?" Yang waved her arms animatedly as she talked to her partner, Pyrrha, the two of the walking over. Their other two teammates weren't far behind.

She only shrugged awkwardly in response before turning and smiling at Jaune and Blake. "I guess this means all the spots on Team Jaune have been filled?"

"Ha. I'd forgotten about that. Sorry to say, but yeah, they have. You seem to have found a pretty awesome team for yourself though." He indicated to Nora, who was talking quite enthusiastically to a silent Ren. When the other boy took notice of Jaune's gaze he nodded to him and gave a small smile.

"Thank you. Your team seems quite capable themselves." Pyrrha nodded to Weiss and Ruby who still stood behind him.

"Yeah, they're pretty awesome." Jaune couldn't help but chuckle before a sudden wave of exhaustion hit him. Without the adrenaline from the battle still coursing and his body now telling him he was was fine, it appeared that it had enough.

"Looks like our ride is here." Whoever said that came out as only a ghost of a whisper and his vision began to blur. Was he losing consciousness? He really didn't have a way to answer that as he was dragged to the airship and forced onto it. The hum of the engine lulled him further into darkness and it took off into the sky. Hopefully back to Beacon.

His head hit Blake's shoulder and he let himself fade into oblivion.

* * *

 **Chapter End**

* * *

 **AN:** First chapter to break 10k words. Generally, I try not to make them this long, but for a climax I suppose it's fine.

The Chimera was based more or less off the one from Dragon's Dogma. And its big attack at the end was a direct ripoff of the Bijuu-dama from Naruto.

I was really torn on whether or not to include the kiss-scene since it is kind of on the fringe of Blake's character (if not outright OOC) but in the end decided screw it, they think they're dead anyways, why not? Besides, it hasn't really changed the dynamic between their current relationship as they both understand what it was.

Next time, the teams get their names and the true nature of this enhanced initiation comes to light.


	4. Leader

Coeur Al'Aran was the beta for the original Auburn and helped me immensely during a period when we were both just getting started. Cover Art drawn by confections101 and a link to it is on my profile page. Jefardi is the one who finally kicked my butt into gear to do something about this story I had almost given up on.

* * *

 **Auburn**

 _Leader_

* * *

Jaune shuffled his weight from foot to foot, feeling completely out of place behind the curtains that led to the main stage of the auditorium.

An auditorium that was very quickly filling up with all the other students in the school. He tugged at the collar of his school uniform every couple seconds, swearing he could feel the tie trying to constrict on him.

Where the heck was Blake? She said she was going to get Ruby and Weiss so why hadn't they shown up yet? How far away were their dorm rooms from here? He had no idea. He didn't know anything about the layout of this school. He would have gotten lost coming here if the scary Professor Goodwitch hadn't guided him from the infirmary.

It had been a week now since that cruel and unusual initiation and he had to spend all of it in recovery and didn't once get to see his team's room. He just really hoped they would hurry it up.

"Hey, look who it is!" The voice of Ruby's sister caused him to turn hopefully to the back entrance. Unfortunately, it was just her team and his wasn't with them. "Disappointed to see us, Captain Atlas?" She grinned cheekily and punched him on the shoulder.

"You know I don't come from Atlas, right?" He rubbed his suddenly sore shoulder. "Anyways, I was actually hoping your sister and my team was with you. Did you see them?"

Yang shook her head. "I can't say that I did. They better get a move on. This thing is about to start. Suck if you had to go out there by yourself to represent the team." Great, as if he wasn't nervous enough.

"I'm sure they'll be here. No need to worry." Pyrrha gave her partner a sharp glance before resting her hand comfortingly on Jaune's shoulder, the same one Yang had hit.

"Thanks." Jaune nodded appreciatively and glanced at their last two teammates. He didn't know either of their names, despite that they had saved him last week. Time to fix that. "Hey, my name is Jaune Arc." He walked up to them and extended a hand. "Short, sweet, rolls of the tongue. Ladies love it." It might have been getting redundant to say it, but it still felt like the easiest way for him to break the ice. It had already worked twice, why not a third time?

"Classy." He heard Yang snicker from behind.

"Howdy there, Jaune!" The girl bounced up to him and gripped his hand so hard he thought it was going to pop. "My name is Nora and I'm super happy to meet you, even though we technically already met, but this is our first time talking! You passed out last time before we could. How are you feeling since then? I haven't seen you around, like at all. We're going to be the bestest of friends, I can tell already!"

"Nora." The boy in green chided. She paused for a second to look at him and Jaune was thankful for the brief respite. He had not planned to be verbally assaulted. Where the heck was his team?

"I'm sorry, I forgot to introduce him." His relief didn't last, Nora picking back up and speaking even faster than before. "He's Lie Ren! We're childhood friends! We've been together for like, ever! Oh, but not together-together, you know? We're just friends! Best friends! What about you? Do you have a best friend! Oh my gosh! I just had the greatest idea! Your best friend and my best friend should hang out and then they'll become friends! But not best friends. That would leave us without our besties. We can't have that!"

"Alright, Queen of the castle, come on." Yang grabbed Nora by the back of her collar and started dragging her away from him.

"Queen of the castle?" Did he want to know?

"Don't ask." Apparently not. Pyrrha was rubbing her forehead therapeutically.

"Mister Arc!" Uh oh. That didn't sound good. Professor Goodwitch stalked into the room and right for him. "Where is the rest of your team! Everyone is seated and the Headmaster is going to introduce you all any minute!"

"Uhh…" Jaune opened and closed his mouth as he tried to formulate a good excuse. "...they got lost on the road of life?" Why did it sound like he was asking a question when he was supposed to be making excuses? The Professor's eye twitched and he could have sworn he saw her grip on the riding crop tighten.

"We're here!" Ruby burst into the room just in time to save his hide. Blake and Weiss followed. Professor Goodwitch stared at the three of them for several moments before walking out with a huff. She didn't even ask what had kept them.

"I'm so happy to see you guys!" Jaune nearly stumbled over himself as he ran up to them. "What the heck happened? I almost had to go out there by myself!"

"This one-" Weiss hiked her thumb at a sheepish Ruby. "-took off down the wrong way. You know how fast she is, of course. Took us forever just to grab her so we could drag her back over here."

"Hehe, my bad." Ruby stuck her tongue out, tilted her head and lightly bopped it with her fist. It was actually a really cute gesture and Jaune found his anger dissipating against his will. Dammit, why was he so weak to quirky girls? He should be better than this!

He let out a sigh as he reached his hand forward and jostled her hair. "Way to go, Crater Face. I thought we'd already established that you're not supposed to take point? You have no sense of direction."

Ruby giggled and jabbed him with an extended finger. "Neither do you, Vomit Boy. I bet someone had to hold your hand to get you here." Dang, she had him there.

"You're both hopeless," Weiss crossed her arms and glared at them.

"If I recall, you almost led us the wrong way several times yourself in Forever Fall so you don't have much room to talk." Blake's comment caused Weiss to go red in the face but she didn't have anything to say in response.

Jaune grinned at his best friend. "Great, Blake is the official map-bearer of the group! Any objections?"

"Nope!"

"Nay."

Ruby and Weiss responded respectively.

"Wait, what?"

"Enjoy your new title, buddy." Jaune patted her on the shoulder and gave a thumbs-up.

"Oh, what am I? What am I?" Ruby bounced around on the balls of her feet, hand extended high.

Surprisingly, it was Weiss who got off the first quip. "Mascot."

Half-second of silence later:

"That seems appropriate."

"Definitely mascot material."

Blake commented and then Jaune.

"What the heck!" Ruby folded her arms and pouted.

"Cheer up, Rubes." Yang strolled back over and draped an arm over her shoulder. "It means they think you're cute."

"Ah, nothing like young camaraderie." Ozpin had strolled into the room without anyone noticing. All eight pairs of eyes were immediately watching him with varying levels of anxiety. He took a sip of his mug and made eye-contact with each of them in turn before speaking again. "I recommend holding off on assigning more team positions until after you know who the leaders of your team are." He looked between Jaune and Weiss meaningfully.

"Then let's get this over with! I'm dying to know what this past week has been about!" Naturally, it was Yang that spurred Ozpin to get on with it. An embarrassed Pyrrha could only shake her head.

"I suppose it is about that time." Ozpin checked a pokcet watch almost absentmindedly before leisurely strolled towards the curtains that separated them from the audience. "All the guests have been seated and are anxiously awaiting this revelation. Now then, could I ask for your two teams to line up in the order I give you?" He pointed with his cane to the right end of the stage. "Pyrrha Nikos, Yang Xiao Long, Lie Ren, and Nora Valkyrie: line up in that order over there." He then indicated to the left. "Jaune Arc, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, Ruby Rose. Face the audience and do try to stand up straight. We're showing you off, after all."

"Showing us off?" Jaune whispered and took his spot next to Weiss. She only shrugged. Now that he thought about it, she was probably used to things like this. Too bad he wasn't.

Ozpin took his place in the center and tapped his cane twice. As if on cue, the curtains pulled back, revealing the nine of them to the audience. Jaune had to squint as floodlights beamed directly into his eyes and fought the urge to raise his hands to block it out. He tried to make out the mass of figures behind the lights but they appeared as little more than shadows. Beacon's auditorium was by no means small yet every single seat was filled. They couldn't all possibly be students, could they? Beacon surely didn't accept that many applicants. Who else could they be? And why would they be there to see him?

The loud murmur of indistinguishable voices quieted almost as immediately as the curtains opened and the whole room was filled with a silence far too eerie for as many people as there were. It was like no one even dared breathe before Ozpin began talking. "I thank you all for taking your time to attend today. As per usual, I will keep this... brief." Jaune remembered the last time this man had said that. His words then had been anything but encouraging.

"Standing behind me are eight students that proved themselves beyond extraordinary on the field in the special initiation held a few days prior. They passed numerous obstacles set up for them and defeated a myriad of Grimm on their travels... including an infamous Chimera." Several gasps were heard and excited chat broke out from the audience. Jaune had no idea that killing one of those things was such a big deal. Not that he really contributed to it. He just ran from it until someone else did.

Ozpin held his hand up and everyone became silent once again. "So... I present to you, Beacon's candidates for Project Lambent." What the heck was that? Jaune had never heard of it before.

"The first team consists of Pyrrha Nikos, Yang Xiao Long, Lie Ren, and Nora Valkyrie." He held his hand out towards them and as he said each of their names they took a step forward into a spotlight that had appeared. "They will form team PYRN (Pyrene), led by Miss Nikos." He then turned towards Jaune. They were about to be called on. Was he sweating? Yeah, he was pretty sure he was. Could the audience see that? Oh God, he hoped not.

"The second team will consist of Jaune Arc-" Jaune shuffled forward, incredibly conscious of every move he made. "-Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, and Ruby Rose." They each took their place under the spotlight down the line from him. "They will form team AWBR (Auburn), led by Mister Arc."

"Huh?" Crap, he hadn't meant to ask that out loud. Seriously, had he just misheard Ozpin? Surely he must have. There was no way in Hell he was made team leader. He checked his teammates' expressions but they only helped confirm his nightmare. Weiss looked very, and he meant very, nonplussed. That was putting it lightly. Blake wasn't showing much expression but he could see an approving smile and coming from her that spoke volumes. Ruby was giving him a huge thumbs-up.

He turned back to Ozpin and the older man gave him a small nod and mouthed "Congratulations." No, no, no. This had to be a mistake. He didn't want to be leader. He didn't deserve to be leader. What's more, he was leader for some team that was part of this 'Project Lambent.' Should he say something? Tell them this was all some kind of mistake. Maybe a typo?

"And there you have it. Any questions you have will be happily taken up by my staff while I debrief these teams on their new enrollment." Ozpin finished as quickly as promised and turned on his heels. The audience exploded into a volley of words which he promptly ignored. "If you children would follow me." He waved them forward with his cane and they all sprung into action at once. "We have much to discuss."

" _That_ is an understatement." He heard Weiss growl and hastened his pace a little, feeling her glare on the back of his head.

It was going to be a long walk to the office.

* * *

Blake observed Jaune's back carefully as they all followed after the headmaster through the halls of Beacon. The route they were taking was rather unorthodox seeing as the headmaster's office was pretty much just on the other side of the auditorium. If Blake had to guess, she would say he was dodging all the curious eyes of the attendees.

Back to Jaune, he seemed like an anxious wreck. Every subtle noise caused him to flinch and glance around like a spooked cat. Then there were the brief glimpses he kept giving Weiss. He would make eye-contact with her for a second, his eyes would widen, he would quickly turn back forward, and his pace hastened for the next couple steps. He repeated this about every five seconds.

With good reason Weiss was about glaring daggers at him. If looks could kill... well, death was probably the most pleasant thing the Heiress was plotting for their new leader. It was very clear that she had wanted to become leader of the team, and probably felt she deserved it. The fact that it was Jaune of all people was probably just ripping her apart on the inside. The thought of that made Blake ecstatic.

This, of course, wasn't the only reason she was glad Jaune was made leader. If it would've been any of them, Blake was glad it was him. The reasons why she didn't want it to be Weiss went without saying. Ruby seemed more than capable enough, but even Blake had to admit she would find it hard to accept orders from a fifteen-year-old girl. She had no desire to be put in the spotlight herself. While she was sure she had some practical skills to bring forth, being vocal about them wasn't exactly her strong suit.

That really only left Jaune as her obvious choice. She trusted his judgement (provided his own life wasn't the one on the line). He had proven multiple times that he could come up with effective strategies on the fly and better yet, communicate them understandably. While he was without a doubt, a doofus, he seemed to shine under pressure. Perhaps most importantly, this could only be good for his confidence issues. Once he settled into his role and started to realize what an excellent leader he truly was, perhaps he would naturally start to feel better about himself. It was worth a shot at least.

Blake had no doubt Ruby was on board with following him. Now that just meant convincing Weiss. This caused her to scowl as she thought of what she might have to do to coerce the Heiress into willingly following Jaune. Dust forbid she might actually have to try and befriend her! Still, it would all be worth it if it would help out her friend.

"Here we are." Ozpin took his place behind his desk and with a jolt, Blake realized they were here. She really had to quit zoning out while thinking. It always was a bad habit of hers.

The blond man that had picked them up from Forever Fall was standing next to Ozpin and some other person Blake didn't recognize was on the other side. "Dad! Uncle Qrow!" But Ruby obviously did as she waved excitedly at the both of them. The two men smiled warmly at her and Yang respectively before returning to their masks of neutrality. Well, Ruby's uncle tried to but it was quickly ruined when he took a swig of something clearly alcoholic.

"I imagine you all want to know what this Project Lambent is about." Ozpin started, looking at them all cheerily and appearing completely at ease.

Not one of them responded. Blake glanced at the others to see they were waiting with as much baited anticipation as she was. Apparently, none of them had heard of this Project either. That was strange in and of itself. Very little happened without at least someone catching wind of it. From what she could tell, their teams came from pretty diverse backgrounds too. It seemed impossible that not one of them had heard even a rumor about this before now.

"Let me begin by asking you all a question." Ozpin took their silence as his cue to continue. "What do you think the main purpose of training huntsmen and huntresses is?" His question was greeted with more silence. "No one has any idea?" He asked, actually sounding amused.

"To defeat evil!" Ruby declared boldly.

"To protect others." Jaune mumbled.

"I know, it's so we can get really good at blowing things up!" That was of course, Nora.

"Huntsmen are trained to perform numerous tasks. There's no limit to the things we might be asked to do-"

"That's not what he's asking." Qrow cut Pyrrha off. "He asked what the main purpose was. Yes, Huntsmen have evolved overtime to be glorified peacekeepers, but there is a much more simple task that they originally had. That is to this day their true purpose." He grimaced down at his flask like he was angry at it for something before taking another sip.

"Hunting Grimm." It was the ever-quiet Ren that provided the answer.

"Precisely." Taiyang pointed into the air, practically jumping along with the motion.

Ozpin just nodded. "Huntsmen and Huntresses are trained to hunt and kill Grimm. Most within has lost sight of this, however, and now Grimm are becoming a bigger threat than ever. Every year and we lose more villages outside the Kingdoms to this threat. Yet society has gotten too dependent on them to keep peace within the Kingdoms that they fail to send any outside of them to truly do their jobs. That leaves us with two routes with which to travel. Accept more students by pulling from a pool of those less qualified…" Jaune flinched visibly. "...or focus on the best and make them even better. Quantity vs. Quality. Project Lambent is the result of us choosing the latter and gearing them specifically at the destruction of Grimm.

"Which brings us to what you've all been waiting to hear. Project Lambent... is essentially a new academy designed to do just that. It is being funded by a personal friend of mine and he will be acting headmaster there. Each of the four major academies in Remnant will be sending candidates to this school. In total, there will only be two teams from each attending. Significantly smaller than what even Beacon accepts. You were all chosen based on your performances after a special evaluation. You're of course aware of the details of your own evaluation." Blake didn't need to be reminded of that Hellish thing they called initiation.

Jaune raised his hand. "So… you're saying we won't be Beacon students?" Ozpin quirked an eyebrow to regard him and the blond lowered the raised hand before flashing a nervous smile.

"If I may, Oz." Qrow stepped forward and almost stumbled. As if he didn't notice it, Ozpin nodded to him to take over. "You will be learning at Lambent, however, you will be there as representatives of Beacon. How you perform there will reflect on Beacon's status. Perform well, and you will be rewarded... perform poorly, and you'll be given incentives to improve yourselves." Jaune gulped.

"So... we're competing against the other students there?" Ruby asked the question Blake was just thinking.

"That's correct." Ozpin took the conversation back over. "A little competition is always a good motivator. Not that you'll need much additional motivation considering where you're going." He picked up a stack of envelopes and gave them to Taiyang to pass out. Blake grabbed hers and flipped it open to see numerous pages inside. After Taiyang finished, Ozpin resumed. "You may all be familiar with the failed Expansion of Mountain Glenn."

Blake had heard of it before, but wasn't what she would call familiar with it. Probably just like every other failed expansion, really. They were all the same. The kingdoms tried to expand, the Grimm stopped them. Simple as that. Regardless, she flipped to one of the pages of her packet to see a giant metal tower. It looked almost like a lighthouse. The tower stood alone amongst the abandoned outline of an incomplete city and the lonely peak of a mountain that must have been Glenn itself.

"That was the location selected for this new school. You will be at this academy for the next two years of your life. Expect to go on numerous excursions into the surrounding landscape where every ounce of your skills will be tested. While not on missions, you will stay at Lambent. You will, of course, have classes as you would here at Beacon, but they'll be a little different. We're training you for Grimm. Expect everything to be geared towards that."

"Isn't the location," Ren was flipping through his own packet as he started his question. "a little close to Beacon? Is it really necessary to have two schools practically within Vale's borders?"

"That's where the bigwigs wanted it." Qrow shrugged carelessly, sloshing the contents of his flask around. "You gotta problem with it, talk to them." Whoever the heck "them" was, although Blake knew he was being rhetorical anyways.

Regardless of the reasons and if they even made sense, this was happening and Mountain Glenn was the destination. It was technically considered outside of Vale Kingdom proper, anyways. Negativity from the failed community probably festered and had made the once blossoming city stagnant. Grimm were no doubt drawn there like bugs to a light. So it made sense in that regard to pick that as the location, at least, Blake thought so. There would never be a shortage of Grimm, that was for sure.

"Professor Qrow here will be going with you." Ozpin spoke again. "If you ever need anything, he will be acting as Beacon's advisor. The other schools are sending staff of their own. They will, of course, teach you as well. But remember, they're going to be looking out for their own students. Their standing is determined on your success as well." He turned to Taiyang and smiled. "I think that might be enough information for now?"

"Yes." The blond man nodded. "You have your packets. Review them. If you have any questions about the details; Ozpin, Qrow, or myself will be more than happy to answer them for you. You leave in a week." He broke into a big grin as he made eye-contact with them all. "Congratulations. I wish you luck at Lambent." While it was clear he was addressing them all, it was obvious the pride in his voice was directed at his two daughters.

Several moments of silence settled between them as Blake and the others tried to take everything in that was just thrown at them. It was almost too unreal. They had just survived the most brutal set of tasks they had ever faced... all to attend this school. Now, they were a week away from being shipped off to somewhere completely different. All for some special 'Project'. If you asked Blake, it sounded to her like they were guinea pigs for some twisted experiment. Still, this was an incredible opportunity. Their talents had been recognized and if this Lambent was all it was cracked up to be, they might to be first of a new, more powerful breed of Huntresses.

"Do... do we just go to our dorms for now?" Pyrrha pointed to the door, body half-turned as if prepared to walk out or ready to snap back in place and at attention. It definitely seemed like they had been dismissed but not a single one of them had made an effort to move from their spots. Probably still the shock.

Ozpin smirked at them. "For now, that would be best. You are allowed to use all the facilities here at Beacon for the remainder of your stay. That includes the training room, and the library. You are still Beacon students, after all."

Pyrrha took a hesitant step backwards. Then another. Finally, she turned and began making her way for the door, albeit with her head turned to watch the headmaster on her way out. As she moved, her team followed after all at once, as if they had been set free from some invisible confinement. Blake turned to follow after and she heard Jaune fall into place next to her.

"Wait right there, Arc!" Weiss snapped and everyone paused. All eyes turned to see her pointing dramatically at their poor, fearful leader. "You and I are going to have a chat with the headmaster... privately." She sent a telling glare to everyone else to make her point clear.

Blake glared right back and stepped up to Jaune, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Anything you have to say to our leader, you can say to all of us." She practically spat these words out.

"Guys, don't fight." Ruby quickly got between the two girls, eyes dancing between them.

"I have no intention of fighting anyone. I simply wish to talk to the headmaster about his choice of appointment. I figured I would give Arc the chance to defend himself." Blake doubted Weiss' words were hardly as moral as they sounded. She just wanted to rip Jaune's already failing confidence apart even further. That and be made leader.

"You've got another thing coming if you think I'm going to take orders from you. Jaune was made the leader and he is the one I'm going to follow." Weiss narrowed her eyes and the very temperature in the room dropped several degrees.

"Weiss, just give it a chance." Ruby quietly pleaded.

"You're taking her side!?" Weiss practically shrieked with indignation. "You're supposed to be my partner!"

"I'm not taking sides!" Ruby's voice escalated after Weiss' fury turned on her. "Jaune was made the leader and I think we should respect that decision." Blake felt herself smirking at the back of Ruby's head. With all three of them aligned against Weiss, it would be easy to force her to back down. You couldn't become team leader through coercion if no one was on your side.

"Guys, it's alright. I'll hear what she has to say. You can head out." Oh dammit. Blake had forgotten that Jaune was an idiot that probably didn't want to be leader to begin with. There was no way she was going to let him talk his way out of this. It was best for all of them.

She leaned forward and whispered into his ear. "Don't you dare let her be leader. You're the only one I'll follow. Just believe in yourself a little."

He gave her an appreciative smile and patted the hand that was still on his shoulder. "Thanks Blake. We're just going to talk it over. If Ozpin likes what she has to say and makes her leader, then that is his decision. We should all respect that." He made a point of meeting Ruby's eyes as he said the last line.

"Jaune, you don't have to do this." Ruby shook her head and stared at him with the biggest puppy-dog eyes she could manage.

"I do have to do this." He affirmed himself and took a commanding stance. "As your current team leader, I'm telling you two to trust me. We'll meet you guys out there in a few minutes." Blake clicked her teeth and Ruby lowered her shoulders.

"Tai, if you would show the others out." Ozpin finally spoke and Blake remembered they had just had this whole confrontation in front of some of the most influential people in the world. They would be lucky if they didn't just revoke their acceptance to this special Project.

"Of course." Tai nodded, his face a mask of indifference. It was impossible for her to gauge what it was he was thinking as he walked up to them. He placed one of his hands on Ruby's shoulder, gently. "Come on, let's leave them to it."

"Jaune." Blake prepared to make one last ditch effort to convince him. He turned to look at her and the words on the tip of her mouth died as she looked into his blue eyes. The expression he put into them was that of reassurance. He had some kind of plan. Whatever this was about, it wasn't about him rolling over and giving Weiss leadership.

"I don't need to force you out, right?" Taiyang asked as he passed by their side. Blake allowed her eyes to hold contact with Jaune's a moment longer before pulling away to end their silent conversation. She didn't know exactly what it was, but she knew it was going to be alright now. She just had to believe in him.

"No, I'm leaving." Blake fell in line with Ruby and they walked out together. As they left, she had to tell herself again it was going to be alright.

Jaune must have known what he was doing.

* * *

Jaune had no idea what he was doing.

Several minutes ago, he wanted nothing more than to give up his role as leader to anyone else on the team. Ruby would make a better leader than he would. Yet here he stood now, prepared to go up against Weiss to maintain his position. He wasn't going to hand it over. Not after Blake and Ruby both vouched for him. He may not have any respect for himself, but he had only the greatest respect for them... and if they believed in him, then he was sure as Hell going to give it a shot.

That just left him one really, really big obstacle: Convincing Weiss. It was no secret that she wasn't very fond of him, and he couldn't blame her. Still, things like that didn't matter. He wanted, no, he needed her support. If he was going to lead this team and keep them all alive, he needed to know they would follow his lead. That was what was most important to him, keeping them alive. With this resolve in place, he took a defiant stance right in front Ozpin's desk. Weiss stepped up next to him, prepared to make her points.

Ozpin had what Jaune could only describe as an amused grin as he shifted his eyes back and forth between the two of them. It almost looked like he had expected this to happen. It wouldn't surprise Jaune at all if that was actually the case. This guy did seem to get kicks out of putting him in difficult situations. "Well then, how about we do this in a proper candidate style? Miss Schnee, I'll let you give your points first since you're the one challenging. Mister Arc will then have his turn to defend his position. I'll ask you both some questions after you've given your piece and once I'm satisfied, will make my decision."

"Acceptable." Weiss crossed her arms and sent Jaune a sideways glare.

He only shrugged. "Sounds fair to me."

"Very well then. Miss Schnee, you have the floor." He gestured to her with his mug.

"Thank you, Professor." She straightened her stance and cleared her throat. "The reasons I'm a far more suitable candidate as opposed to this buffoon-" Man, she didn't have to be so mean. "- are numerous. For starters, heritage. I am the next in line to run the prestigious Schnee Dust company. I have been groomed my whole life on how to make decisions and run a company that has its hand in every kingdom. Decisions that will affect the lives of thousands on a daily basis. Leading three students hardly seems a challenge when compared to that. Next is skill: I effortlessly dispatched numerous Grimm on my own out there while Arc here blundered about trying to kill even the most mundane of adversary we came across. I am not saying that Arc is without his merits, but none of them contribute to effectively leading a team. I could go on, but I think I've painted a pretty clear picture with just that. I have no desire to waste more of your time than necessary."

Qrow snorted in what sounded like drunken amusement and shook his head, leaning against the desk. Ozpin didn't say anything. Instead he wore the same amused smile he had the whole time since this thing started. He shifted his gaze off Weiss and directed it to Jaune. Well, it looked like it was his turn. He hadn't prepared a speech nearly as elaborate as Weiss'. He was going back to his trusty fall-back of winging it. It usually worked, why not now?

He inhaled deeply and let out a deep breath. "A lot of the things Weiss just said are true. Killing even the weakest Grimm is a difficult task for me. I'm not all that smart. Most of the things I came up with were desperate attempts to survive. However, I will do whatever it takes to keep this team together." Weiss scoffed at this claim. He didn't blame her. She didn't trust him. That was the thing that separated the two of them. "Blake and Ruby trust me. They'll lend me their support whenever I need it. That's the one thing that initiation really taught me: Trust in your comrades."

He turned to Weiss. "You came back for Blake and I. Thank you for that."

Her face contorted in obvious confusion. "W-what?"

"I just realized that I never thanked you. Ruby told me you were prepared to knock out her dad to bring the ship back. Blake may have her doubts, but I know deep down you're a good person. You're all of the things you just said you were. You're smart, resourceful, beautiful, and kind of harsh. I trust you completely. I know it's not what you wanted, but I want you to lend me your talents to help make this team the best it can be as my vice-commander. Yours is the only role we hadn't decided on yet, after all." Weiss opened and closed her mouth, unable to form words. Multiple emotions swapped across her face every second before settling on one of contemplation.

Jaune turned back to Ozpin. He hadn't meant to start addressing Weiss in the middle. It had just kind of happened. "Sorry, that's all I have to say. You can ask your questions now."

Ozpin's amused smile morphed into a smirk. "I don't think there is a need for that anymore, do you Miss Schnee?"

"Huh?" Weiss was snapped out of her stupor and pointed at her own face, mouth opened to form a small o. He merely stared at her as it was obvious he wasn't talking to anyone else. Her whole posture then slumped, arms falling to dangle at her sides and she let out a rough sigh. "How stupid. Like I could compete against such blunt honesty as that. Scheming politicians were much easier to deal with."

"So then…?" Jaune couldn't believe it. Was she saying what he thought she was?

"I'm agreeing to be your vice-commander... temporarily." Jaune couldn't help the big grin that stretched across his face. Weiss grimaced as she saw it. "You better be prepared for me to call you out on your blunders though! If I ever feel you're not suited to the task I won't hesitate to rip your authority from you! The only reason I'm agreeing to this is because Belladonna and Ruby won't follow me at all if I take the position from you now."

"I can accept that." He took a step forward and stuck out his hand.

Weiss glared at it for about a second before reaching her own hand out and giving his a brief shake. "You better convince that partner of yours of this. This won't work otherwise."

"Blake will understand. We're all in this together." He tried to assure her but the doubt remained. "We won't know for sure until we try. Come on, let's go talk to them." He nodded his head towards the door and she took the first step towards it.

"Actually, I would like a word alone with Mister Arc for a second." Ozpin called out, stopping them both in their tracks. Weiss gave Jaune a confused look but he could only shrug. He looked to the headmaster who had yet to move from behind his desk. Whatever it was he wanted to talk to him about, Jaune hadn't the slightest clue.

He sighed before nodding to Weiss. "Go on ahead. I'll be right behind you." Her gaze lingered on him for a second before doing just that.

Jaune turned back to Ozpin and Qrow and heard the door shut behind him. He waited for the headmaster to talk. Several seconds went by and nothing was said. Still, Jaune waited. The only audible noise in the room were the numerous gears both above and below him as they turned. This room was rather eerie, actually. Who had glass floors anymore? Those things were just freaky.

A full minute went by and still Ozpin said nothing. The only thing he did at all was take a sip from his mug from time to time. Was this some sort of test? Maybe Ozpin was waiting for him to say something first? What if he was waiting for someone else to join them? Who would that be though? Maybe it was school security? What if he knew all along that Jaune had faked his transcripts to get in and had launched him into the forest thinking he would quit?

"Do you always let your emotions show so readily on your face, kid?" It was Qrow that finally broke the silence, giving a short chuckle and taking another swig from his flask.

"Huh?" Jaune was suddenly very aware of every muscle in use on his face. It was undoubtedly contorted in something akin to pure panic. "Umm... yes?" Note to self, never play poker. He would be broke.

"Hmm." Ozpin merely nodded at Jaune's response. "It's been a while since I've met someone as entertaining as yourself, Mister Arc." Jaune knew it! This guy got kicks out of everything he put him through! "You won Miss Schnee over rather quickly. I can't help but wonder if that was a calculated move or more of your fight-or-flight instincts doing the talking for you?"

Jaune didn't know what he meant. "All I did was tell the truth."

Ozpin tapped his desk and considered his words. "Interesting. If I'm being honest, I didn't expect you to defend your position. I thought you would have tried to convince me to promote her to leader instead. It's very rare for someone to go against my expectations like that."

Jaune ran a hand through his hair and gave a guilty grin. "I had honestly planned to do the same up until I saw how against it Blake and Ruby were. So for the sake of keeping the team together, I'm willing to bear the weight of this position."

"Oh?" Ozpin raised a curious eyebrow. "And what weight is that?"

"The weight of their lives of course." Jaune's face and stance settled into staunch determination. "No matter what happens out there, I'm going to protect the three of them with my life… and my decisions."

Ozpin lifted his hands and crossed his fingers in front of his mouth as he leaned forward. Jaune could've sworn he saw him smile before doing that. "That right there is precisely why I made you the leader of this team. I imagine it is this resolve of yours that has earned Miss Belladonna's unwavering trust. I'm expecting great things from you in Lambent. You and the rest of AWBR. Which brings me to the last thing I wished to discuss with you." He grabbed a single last file that was left over from the previous ones distributed and gently tossed it to the far side of the desk, closest to Jaune. "I have my concerns about this school, you see."

"Concerns?" Jaune titled his head. "Like what?"

"Certain people-" Qrow answered, not bothering to hide his distaste as he did. "-are certain that this school is best for everyone in the world. They truly believe that if we don't change the way we do things soon it might be too late. I don't think they're entirely wrong, but I also think they're excluding one group of people when he says everyone."

"Who?"

"You and your fellow students, Mister Arc." Ozpin answered, his voice carrying a small hint of anger in it. Not directed at him, thankfully, but it was there. When Ozpin continued it was gone and his voice was as monotone as usual. "You are all so young. I worry that this academy is built for something far more sinister than what they're telling us."

"Stop, stop right there!" Jaune waved his hands frantically and took a couple hesitant steps back. "Why would you support something like this if you have so many worries about it?" For that matter, did this mean there was something true about Ren's concerns with these schools being so close to one another?

"With or without Beacon's support, it was going to happen. By agreeing to go along with it, I can maintain my relationship with the other schools that are also sending attendees. Also, this gives me a chance to send someone in that can observe and report everything it is that he witnesses while there."

Jaune nodded as he finally began to understand what the headmaster was talking about. Well, most of it. "That's all well and good, but why are you telling me all this?" Ozpin and Qrow both raised their eyebrows at him and he then felt himself break out in a cold-sweat. "Oh no, no, no, no, no, no, no! I'm not some kind of spy. I can barely keep a secret. Trust me, you don't want me to do it. Why not have him do it?" Jaune pointed at Qrow. "He's going with us, isn't he?"

"I'm not exactly going to be in a position to help out, y'see... the headmaster and me go way back. He's not going to exactly let his guard down around me." Qrow shook his head, actually looking like he felt something akin to sympathy for a moment. The effect was ruined not even a second later when he let out a drunken burp.

"Besides," Ozpin reached his hand forward and tapped the folder he had just tossed on the desk. "To my understanding, you actually have a couple secrets that you're hiding quite well at the moment."

Jaune gulped. He took an uneasy step forward despite every warning bell in his brain telling him not to. He walked right up to the desk and placed his hand on the folder. They trembled so badly he had a hard time grasping the flap to flip it open. When he finally managed to, all of his worst fears were confirmed.

His transcripts stared him right in the face. His incredibly fake, very forged transcripts.

Ozpin didn't say anything more and Jaune knew he didn't need to. Forgery wasn't the worst law one could break but it did have some steep stipulations if caught.

Best case scenario he would have to pay a hefty fine and would forever be blacklisted from any and all Hunter training facilities. Worst, well he didn't want to consider the worst since he the "best" was horrible enough. That would be a bit of a dream-crusher right there. He would never become a Huntsmen with one word from either of these men. His dream would be dead. More importantly, he would have to separate from the team whose full trust he just earned. From his partner.

There was only one road for him to take if he wanted to keep all that.

"Fine. I'll be your spy."

* * *

 **Chapter End**

* * *

 **AN:** Alright, finally got to the team getting their name officially.

Pyrene is a colorless chemical commonly used in making dyes, so that's where their team name came from.

I'm also obviously taking a big step away from Canon now. Not that I had exactly clung too closely to it to begin with, but this story is going to get even more AU as it goes along. Some things from the show will remain consistent but others are going to have to change. I'll also be introducing that OC that is tagged in the characters.

Next time, the teams arrives at Lambent and Weiss is in for a surprise when she recognizes the one running it.


	5. Lambent

Coeur Al'Aran was the beta for the original Auburn and helped me immensely during a period when we were both just getting started. Cover Art drawn by confections101 and a link to it is on my profile page. Jefardi is the one who finally kicked my butt into gear to do something about this story I had almost given up on.

* * *

 **Auburn**

 _Lambent_

* * *

Jaune sighed in relief as the dropped down about only a dozen feet to land on the solid metal structure that would serve as their new home. The fall itself was more than short enough for his aura to comfortably absorb the blow without any of the annoying numbness that came after.

"That wasn't so bad." He grinned to his partner and best friend just as she landed next to him.

Blake rolled her eyes and pat him on the back again, like she had been forced to do most of the bullhead ride over. "I can still smell the puke from all the throwing up you did… that was pretty bad."

"Well sure, the flight was. I meant the landing." He tried to grin, but even he could tell it came out forced and half-assed.

"Oh my gosh, Jaune. Blake. Come look at this, it's amazing!" Fortunately Ruby was there to remove any awkward tension caused by his motion-sickness, waving them over to the edge of the tower they now stood on. Weiss was already next to her, looking over the edge and into the abyss below.

Just thinking about how high up they actually still were made his stomach churn in protest. He almost didn't even want to look over that ledge, preferring to just pretend they weren't ten stories stories up. Still, curiosity got the best of him anyways and he chugged forward, legs feeling heavy. Blake trailed at his side, matching his gait and still somehow making it look natural.

In the not-so-distance he could see the Mountain Glenn for what the expansion had been named. Even as tall as this tower was, it still felt like a speck in the face of that mighty landmark. It was a wonder Grimm got over here at all with such a strong, naturally border. Then again, Grimm had adapted all kinds of abilities and for them, getting around that mountain probably wasn't nearly as much a challenge as it was for humans.

"Watch your step, dunce." Weiss grabbed him just before he could manage to walk straight off the ledge. Looking straight down made his knees go weak and threw his whole balance off as vertigo overwhelmed him. If not for having Blake on one side and Weiss on the other he might have for real fallen off right then and there.

It did give him a good view of what was beneath them. The abandoned buildings and structures of Mountain Glenn were mostly incomplete and even the ones that had been finished were broken and falling apart.

The tower of Lambent had been constructed on what looked like was once a wall on the border of the city. To the south was a vast plain of grass that eventually gave way to a thick forest. Parts of the wall still stood and ran to the East and West of the tower's sides, but several hundred yards in either directions there were gaps and whole parts completely missing. The Grimm could get at it from any angle they pleased, really.

Which they were certainly taking advantage of. Even now and no less than a hundred Grimm were within view of varying sizes and shapes. All of them were charging straight for the tower, going easily three times as fast as Jaune could in a dead sprint. For all the good it did them.

They got within about fifty yards of the tower and green beams of energy flared to life from the middle of the structure, pin-pointed at the Grimm with deadly accuracy. Very deadly accuracy. If the beam so much as grazed one of the creatures, that was it. The monster died. Hundreds of them were scattered around and disintegrating.

"It's a Dust powered anti-Grimm laser defense system." Weiss appeared just as shocked to see such a powerful defense system as he. "They're still testing those!"

"I'm guessing the Schnee Dust Company is the one developing that?" Blake tapped the handle of Gambol Shroud, an act Jaune wasn't even sure she was aware of.

Weiss nodded. "Last I heard they were still developing a way for them to safely target Grimm without reacting to any other signs of life. If I had to guess, I'd say these ones are programmed to react to any Grimm that gets within the perimeter. I can only imagine the amount of Dust it takes to effectively utilize those."

"That's the Schnee Dust company for you." Qrow drunkenly slurred behind them, not trying to hide his distaste as he said Weiss' family name. Jaune imagined he and Blake would get along pretty well if the guy would lay off the booze. "No expense is too much!" He spun around and gestured vaguely to the silver tower they stood atop of.

"Are you saying my family built this place?" Weiss looked surprised by this news. He imagined it was pretty rare that her family did something without her knowing about it then. Not that he would know.

"Why don't you ask that question of the dear old headmaster? I imagine you'll recognize him." Qrow chuckled ironically, shaking his head and stumbling towards a cylinder poking out of the center of the tower. An elevator, if Jaune had to guess.

Qrow stepped past the members of PYRN who had gathered not far away from that elevator and as he came up to it, the door slid open with an audible hiss. Qrow and some man Jaune had never seen before- yet looked oddly familiar- passed one another without a word. He heard Weiss let out a small gasp from next to him and immediately made the connection.

Qrow slipped into the circular elevator and leaned against a railing as he turned and looked out at the others and the apparent headmaster. Weiss jogged up to him, the rest of her team following behind where they lined up side-by-side with the other Beacon team.

"Glad to see you all made it." The man greeted in a nasally, chipper tone of voice. He was dressed almost entirely in white; From his pants to his leather jacket and even his boots. The katana that hung off his waist was also sheathed in white. His slicked-back white hair stood in stark contrast to his more tan skin complexion. "My name is Shirou. Shirou Schnee. I am the headmaster here." Several eyes darted to Weiss at once.

She cleared her throat and made her way to the front of the group. "It's good to see you again… uncle." She gave a small curtsy while she addressed him. "I had no idea it was you who would be running Lambent. The documents on that were rather… vague."

The man chuckled as he stepped forward and directly in front of Weiss. He towered at least two full heads over her and almost had to look straight down through slanted-eyes that obscured the color of his irises. "Yes, well you can thank your father for that. He didn't want to be seen as involved with this academy for several personal reasons. For his sake, we hid the fact that his younger brother was the one running it."

"I understand. A little heads-up to me would have at least been appreciated however." Weiss huffed and glared at the taller man.

"And miss the surprise on the face of my favorite niece?" He reached his hand forward and patted her hair. If it was possible her glare got even sharper. "Ah, I'd forgotten that you lack a sense of humor. Definitely your father's girl."

He walked past her and smiled at the rest of them before stepping up to Pyrrha and extending a hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you Miss Nikos. Your transcripts looked very promising."

"T-Thank you, Professor Schnee." Pyrrha mumbled awkwardly as she took his hand and shook it.

"Please, just call me Shirou." He waved his hand and gave a disarming grin as stepped up to Yang. "Good to meet you, Miss Xiao Long."

"You... don't act much like a Schnee." Yang shook his hand even as she tried to lean away from him.

"Bah, all those formalities are far too troubling." He stepped up to Nora and shook her hand next to which she only enthusiastically returned. "Miss Valkyrie." He greeted quickly. "Besides, I'm only Schnee by name. After my brother married in, they sort of adopted me too." He finished saying that while shaking Ren's hand. "Pleasure to meet you."

Then he turned to the remaining members of AWBR and Jaune went tense, his whole body locking completely up. This man was anything but what he expected him to be. The way Ozpin and Qrow described the situation, it sounded like some kind of megalomaniac was running this place. Maybe it wasn't really so bad after all? Then again, if experience had taught Jaune anything it was the more harmless and inviting something appeared, the more dangerous it usually was. He wasn't about to drop his guard around this guy.

"Miss Rose. You're quite the prodigy. It must be hard on you being partnered up with my niece." He was already up to them and shaking Ruby's hand.

"Hey! I'm right here!"

"Nah, she's not too bad." Ruby tilted her head and grinned brightly at her partner who only folded her arms and humphed. Shirou laughed at the interaction and moved onto Blake.

"The mysterious Miss Belladonna. That _is_ a cute bow you have on." Blake didn't say anything as she shook his hand and only stared with eyes that appeared to be assessing the man in front of her. Jaune wondered if she was thinking along the same lines he was.

Finally, he stopped in front of Jaune but paused as he glanced him up and down. Just great, was he about to appear on this guy's radar so soon?

"A good team is nothing without its leader. I look forward to working with you, Mister Arc." Despite the length of silence that stretched before, that was all Shirou had to say as they shook hands. Jaune tried looking into his eyes to see if he had somehow figured him out already, but wasn't able to get anything from them due to the fact that he kept them closed throughout the entire exchange.

"Same..." Jaune replied awkwardly and pulled his hand away.

"That's good to hear. Now that introductions are out of the way, allow me to be the first to give you all these words." He straightened his posture and took a couple steps back. With a big flourish of his arms he bowed deeply before them.

"Welcome to Lambent."

* * *

"Something on your mind, Mister Arc?" Jaune looked back to Shirou to see him giving the same amused grin that seemed glued to his face. It was like everything was one big joke to him or something.

"There are just... more floors than I imagined?" He wasn't really sure if that question sounded natural or not, but it was the first thing that came to mind looking at all the buttons on the elevator. There were ten floors in total and one sub-floor. That meant eleven he was going to have to look through in order to find whatever the heck it was Qrow and Ozpin even wanted him looking for. Not that any of them knew what that was.

Speaking of Qrow, the drunken professor let out a not so-subtle warning cough. Jaune didn't know what he wanted from him. How was he supposed to find anything if he didn't ask questions? The only thing Jaune knew about being a spy was from Bond movies, dammit. He wasn't cut out for this.

"You got something stuck in your throat, Uncle Qrow?" Ruby was hanging off of him in concern, which seemed to give him the perfect cover for Shirou to not notice anything.

"Probably all the booze trying to come back up." Yang snorted, shoving their uncle, not even capable of rocking him a little.

Shirou ignored their family banter and nodded to to Jaune's question instead. If he thought it suspicious, he did a good job not showing it. "The tower had to be at least this tall so we kind of had to spread things out when constructing it. Some of the design isn't the most efficient, but we had spare space so we had to fill it with something."

He pointed to the button for the top floor. "That one is for my office." Then he pointed the next one down as he counted them all off. "The teachers' rooms and their offices. Then the rooms you'll all be in, along with simple restrooms. The baths, which are quite extravagant if I say so myself. Then the cafeteria. The fifth floor is where the defense system for the lasers are and the fourth is where everything is stored, so essentially a giant closet. Students won't go into either of those. Rounding off the last three: The classrooms. A gym. And finally, a library." Blake perked up at the end.

She had clearly been listening the whole time to their conversation, but Jaune hadn't even noticed until the mention of books. His partner suddenly looked very embarrassed as both Shirou and Jaune turned to regard her.

"So uhh…" He tried to spare her feelings and push past that she'd been caught listening by moving on. "How do we get out of here? I notice you didn't mention anything about an exit." He also didn't mention the sub-floor but there was no getting around that. It just made it more suspicious and in the line of spy-work, suspicious was good, right?

"We just left it." Shirou stated matter-of-factly.

"Wait… you mean the roof?" He suddenly had a very bad feeling about this.

"Of course, we can't have doors on the ground floor. If any of the Grimm got past the lasers they would make it right in." So they were what? Just expected to jump off the roof every time they had to leave? Suddenly launching them from rocket pads made more sense, if it was preparing them for living here. Was there a ladder on the outside to help them back up? Unlike Weiss, Blake, and Ruby, he didn't have a Semblance that could help him climb.

He didn't have a Semblance at all.

"And here we are!" Shirou gestured dramatically as the door opened up on the fourth floor, the cafeteria. "Feel free to take a seat anywhere you want." He pointed to the numerous circular tables that were spread across the room. "You're of course free to mingle with the other students… not that any of them seem too interested in doing the same." Jaune finally noticed the twenty-four other people about his age that were seated throughout the room. They were separated into three other groups that he would guess were the three separate kingdoms. That made them the last group to arrive.

"Qrow, my old friend, if you'll come with me?" Shirou flashed that ever present maniacal grin at the only other adult, earning a grimace and roll of the eyes.

"See ya, pipsqueak." Qrow disentangled himself from Ruby and followed after Shirou. Ruby and Yang both followed after their uncle for the first few steps and then broke towards the tables. The rest of the two teams weren't far behind, except Jaune.

He took a couple steps after them but paused again as he looked once more around the room, skimming its entire surface. There were no windows, a high ceiling and it was all made of the same metallic material as the outside of the building. The tables and small stage set up looked incredibly out of place in the otherwise empty room. He peeked around the other side of the elevator to see that side of the room completely bare. It was like the setup was thrown together at the last second.

"Jaune?" He jumped at the unexpected voice and spun to see Blake had stayed behind with him while all the others were already seated. She raised an eyebrow at his odd behavior and his brain whirled as it attempted to form some kind of believable excuse. Who was he kidding? Nothing he said was going to convince Blake. For better or worse, she already knew him well enough to recognize all his tics and habits.

"Everyone is waiting." To his surprise she didn't say anything about his behavior and simply nodded her head towards the others. He was both extremely relieved and immediately thankful.

"Right." He straightened his stance and began walking with her.

Their two teams all sat at one table, of course separate from all the other schools. The order went Weiss, Ruby, Yang, Nora, Ren and Pyrrha. That left a gap of two seats between Weiss and Pyrrha for them to take. Jaune took the one next to the Heiress, knowing Blake wouldn't want it. So his partner took the last one next to the champion.

This worked out well enough since he needed some more information anyways. "Hey Weiss." Jaune rubbed the back of his head and scooted his chair in.

She turned and looked at him half-questioningly, half with her usual scowl. "Yes?" She didn't even given him a chance to gather his thoughts, although he probably should have had them gathered before he even got over here so maybe that was his bad.

"I just wanted to know more about your uncle." Her eyes narrowed and he shifted backwards, as if trying to put distance between them. It was kind of apparent that her uncle was a sore subject but he couldn't give up here. He needed to do this. At least he thought he did. Hopefully Weiss could tell him things Ozpin already didn't know.

"What in particular do you need to know?" She asked after several seconds of silence.

"Well… everything, I guess. Let's start with that." Her eye twitched.

"You know 'everything' is a really broad term, right?" For some reason it sounded like she was trying really hard to be patient with him. He couldn't imagine why that was.

"Yeah I know. How about we just start from his birth and work our way chronologically from there? He's only… how old is he anyways?" Jaune glanced over at him and if he had to guess would say was in his mid-twenties. That seemed really young to be running a place like this.

"Are you just trying to irritate me? Cause if you are, it's working." Weiss grabbed his ear and twisted.

"Ouch, no I'm being- ouch! Weiss cut it out!" She finally released his ear and he rubbed it as he eyed her fearfully.

"I'm also a little curious about him." Blake offered as she glanced between the two of them. "What's he like?"

Weiss huffed and crossed her arms. "You've seen what he's like. Everything in the world to him is one big joke. He doesn't take anything seriously at all. All his life, things have just been handed to him."

"That's not just your personal-bias talking is it?" Blake accused and Weiss turned on her. "Someone that doesn't take anything seriously surely wouldn't have been made the head of a school in the middle of Grimm territory. His skills must be exceptional beyond compare and that's not something you get without effort."

"You don't get it." Weiss leaned back in her chair and sighed. "That's exactly what I'm saying. His skill at cutting down Grimm… it's unnatural. My father has even said so. Ever since he could swing that sword of his, he's been some sort of prodigy. I don't think he's ever faced a Grimm and thought he might die." Jaune definitely couldn't relate to that. Every time he faced a Grimm he thought for sure he was dead. Was that why this guy instinctively sent off warning bells in his head? Was it because he sensed how different they were?

"Though, I suppose it was fortunate he had that talent. He would never have been recognized as a legitimate heir to the company so becoming a Huntsmen was really the next best route for him to uphold the family honor. Even more so because he doesn't deserve to wear the Schnee Family Crest on his back." Weiss said this almost bitterly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jaune asked that question so heatedly he surprised even himself. Something about the way she worded that had struck a nerve he'd rather not think about.

Weiss let out a long, drawn out sigh as she appeared to consider how to answer his question. "...My grandfather was a great man. He hardly had a tarnish on his record while he ran the company. He was also... well, he was just _too_ compassionate." She emphasized. "When my father married in, our grandfather made him the heir. Then he adopted Shirou too and gave him the family name despite the oddity of doing such a thing. Uncle has dedicated himself day and night to the sword and to my father and grandfather ever since. He's now Atlas' most renowned swordsman. So it's no wonder he was selected to run this school."

Silence followed after she finished.

Ruby was the first to respond and he realized everyone at the table had been listening. "It sounds like you actually respect him quite a bit." First it was her and Yang's Uncle, whom they both clearly looked up to. Now Weiss too. Next thing he knew and everyone was going to have an uncle that worked here.

Weiss' cheeks tinted with pink and she shifted her eyes so they wouldn't meet any of theirs. "Of course I do. I may not agree with his personality but he's still my uncle and an excellent Huntsmen."

"I think it's very nice." Pyrrha offered.

"Thank you!" Weiss beamed brightly at her compliment. "Why couldn't you have been on my team?"

"Sorry none of us are up to your standard." Blake remarked dryly and immediately flustering the young Heiress again.

"That right there is exactly the type of thing I'm talking about! You all give me such a hard time!" The girls continued their argument but Jaune wasn't listening to that much anymore.

Instead he was staring into the green eyes of a girl that stood less than several feet from them all and who was smiling brightly at him in particular. At least he thought the smile was directed at him. Her eyes were kind of vacant so it was hard to be sure.

He didn't recognize her but she must have been about his age which made her a student from one of the other schools. Why she was over here, he had no idea. He was kind of hoping she would say something but she seemed perfectly content to just stand there and stare back at him. As weird as it was, he had to admit she was kind of cute. He particularly liked the bow on the back of her head. It kind of reminded him of Blake's a little, just crooked. And pink.

"...Do you know her?" Ruby leaned past Weiss and poked him. Just then he realized all the others had taken notice of the two of them staring at one another.

He quickly shook his head. "I've never seen her before." Despite the fact that they were now talking about her, she didn't say anything. It was passing beyond just weird now. So he turned back to her and cleared his throat. "Can I... help you?"

The girl tilted her head and looked to actually process the question. "I do not believe so. Do I look like I need help with something?"

"Mental help." Weiss grumbled under her breath.

"What are you doing over here?" Blake asked more directly.

The girl positively beamed at this question. "I came to introduce myself and meet the other students!"

That was all well and great, but why hadn't she introduced herself yet then? Maybe she was feeling really awkward and didn't know how to properly do an introduction? Jaune felt immediate sympathy for the girl in front of him as he knew what it was like to be socially awkward.

He cleared his throat and got to his feet. The least he could do was show her how it was done. "The name is Arc. Jaune Arc. All the ladies just call me handsome."

He heard several hands smack their owners in the face simultaneously but ignored it. The girl in front of him didn't appear phased at all and instead kept right on grinning back at him. Then all at once her face went rigid and serious, hand coming up and giving a military salute. "Salutations! My name is Penny! It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Handsome!"

If Yang could have taken a picture of all their faces at that moment, Jaune had no doubt she would have had a field day for weeks. Weiss broke into a fit of coughs so violent that he thought she might have been choking on her own lung. Ruby had jumped from her seat so quickly she knocked it over and looked absolutely lost at what to do now that she was standing. Pyrrha's mouth hung so far open it looked like her jaw had broke. Blake's face had reacted the least but even he was able to tell she was staring very strangely at their newest acquaintance. His own face burnt in unrestrained embarrassment at having so casually been called that by this quirky girl.

"You are all behaving rather odd." Penny remarked and Jaune had to wonder if she was being serious or if this was all some elaborate prank.

"You're the one being odd!" Weiss all but shrieked as she finally managed to stifle her coughs.

Penny looked like she was replayed the full conversation in her head before she responded. "I introduced myself normally."

"It wasn't the introduction!" Weiss' continued to holler before quietly muttering under her breath. "Although your introduction wasn't what I'd call normal either."

"You don't have to call him that, you know?" Blake was attempting to maintain a neutral expression but was failing hard.

"He said all the ladies call him Handsome. Do you not believe I am a lady?" Rather than sounding offended, she sounded more like she was afraid that they were onto her secret.

"What? No. How did you even come to that conclusion?" Blake dropped her facade as the frustration took over. It was actually pretty amusing. This was the first time Jaune had seen someone get to Blake like this; Someone not him or Weiss anyways. "You know what? Don't answer that." Blake stopped Penny before she could do just that.

If Penny had come to thrown them off their game she had certainly done a good job. Then again, was it possible she had come over here just to see him? She was staring right at him just a few moments ago. This whole thing kind of made it seem like she was flirting with him too. Was this finally his chance to get a date? Wait a second. How were you supposed to date someone out here? They were on the edge of a destroyed expansion. Slaying Grimm was hardly the most romantic thing two people could do with one another. Regardless, if this was his chance he wasn't about to lose out on it.

"So… Penny." Jaune gave the most suave grin he could muster and took a big step closer to her.

"Yes, Handsome?"

"Stop calling him that!" Weiss and Blake yelled at the same time. He had never heard them so in sync before.

"What brings a cute lady like yourself all the way out here to Lambent?" He placed a hand on her shoulder but she showed no outward reaction to him invading her personal space. Maybe she really had taken a liking to him?

"Uncle Ironwood insisted that I have my training here in order to put my combat prowess to the test!" Penny flexed both arms as she answered but Jaune wasn't paying any attention to that. In fact, he had lost her after the first two words.

"D-did you say… Uncle Ironwood?" He pulled his hand off of her and took a couple fearful steps backwards. "As in the big, scary, General of the Atlas military?"

Penny nodded enthusiastically. "Yes. That would be him." Okay… time to abort mission. No way in Hell was he getting involved with a girl whose uncle could destroy him in more ways than he could imagine without any repercussions. Penny tilted her head questioningly at him. "Is something wrong, Handsome?"

"Nope! Nothing's wrong!" Jaune shook his head so violently he made himself dizzy. "You know what? How about you just call me Jaune? That's what all my friends call me." Penny's eyes widened and she stared at him in complete silence for what must have been thirty whole seconds. In that time, Jaune was beginning to fear he had really set her off now. Was she going to tell her uncle? He really hoped not.

Sudden movement from Penny caused him to focus back in and he saw her approaching quickly. She walked right up to him and he took another couple steps back in retreat. He bumped into the table and Penny stopped less than a couple centimeters from him. He leaned back as far as he could but Penny leaned forward and stared into his eyes with an expression that meant nothing but business.

"Are you saying-" He flinched at her voice. "-that you and I are friends?"

"Uhh…" Jaune had no idea how to answer that. He looked to the others for help but not one of them would even look in his direction. The traitors! He was on his own for this one. With great reluctance, he turned back to Penny. "...yes?" He really wished that hadn't sounded like a question.

When her stalwart gaze didn't let up, he wondered if it was too late to change his answer? Then all at once, the serious expression broke into a huge smile and she skipped backwards to finally give him some breathing room. "Sensational!" She whooped as she hopped around and threw her hands into the air. "I'll compile a list of activities we can do together while here at Lambent! We shall spend everyday together for here on out." What the Hell had he gotten himself into now?

"My apologies for the delay everyone." Saved by the bell as Shirou started to address them all, his voice carrying over the whole cafeteria with ease and echoing off the metal walls.

"We shall continue this later, new friend." Penny gave a quick wave and ran off back to her team, leaving Jaune to let out a sigh of relief as he plopped back down in his seat. No sooner after than his and everyone else's scroll made a small beep and vibrated as they simultaneously received a message. He pulled it out to see a huge program pending to be downloaded.

"What I've just sent you all is vital. You can consider it as your personal Lambent Identification. It allows you to enter and leave the tower, operate the elevator, access a majority of the facilities within, including your own personal room. There is a map of the floor layout programmed in as well as an interactive map of the surrounding landscape that will update automatically as you journey around to slay Grimm. Your class schedules and weekly assignments will also update frequently."

He paused his speech and waited for them to download the program. Jaune was surprised how quickly it installed and in only several moments his scroll was displaying a picture of him with a list of statistics such as what school he was representing, his status as team leader, and even Grimm kills which flashed a big fat zero. He cocked his head at one of the statuses that simply read GKP with the number 500 next to it.

"It looks like most of you have finished at least glancing the system over." Shirou started back up. "Seeing as we are living outside the kingdoms, it isn't exactly feasible to expect any of you to earn lien. So we've developed the GKP currency for you to use. It stands for Grimm Killing Points. In other words, the more Grimm you kill, the more points you get. The stronger the Grimm, the more points it is worth. You will use these points here to supply yourself. This includes meals, gear, even simple necessities such as toothpaste. If you fail at killing many Grimm, then you are in for a very rough life here."

Jaune gulped. This was probably what Qrow had meant when he was talking about incentives to improve yourself. They were practically living in their whole own society out here. He tuned whatever Shirou was saying out as he flipped through some of the pages of information. The map of the tower was interesting to say the least. Of course that sub-floor didn't even appear. How curious. Did that mean his scroll wasn't authorized to let him go down to that floor either? Only one way to find out but that would have to wait.

The store menu popped up and he was surprised by how much you could actually buy. If you needed it, well, you could get it. In the small corner of the screen it read 'Provided by the Schnee Dust Company.' That figured.

Next was his class schedule and short bios on the Hunters that would be training them. Classes didn't seem bad at all with him only having to attend four hours a day, four days a week of actually sitting through a lecture. That meant there was likely going to be a lot of out-of-class work, but that made sense given they had to kill Grimm to be able to even feasibly survive out here.

"-aune. Jaune!"

"Huh? What?" He gave a start and tore his gaze from the scroll to see Blake standing over him.

"The headmaster excused us. Everyone is heading to their rooms for the night." She eyed him oddly for a second before glancing at the page on his scroll. "It must have been interesting information. I don't think I've ever seen you read that deeply."

Jaune gave his signature awkward chuckle. "I just love to learn. You know that." She rolled her eyes. "What time is it? I didn't think it was nearly that late." He glanced at his scroll to answer his own question and to see it was already eight. How long had he been going over that information? It didn't seem like a lot, but really it was. Most of the other students were already walking by them and forming a line at the elevator. "Ruby and Weiss?"

"They're in line." He tried to spot them but they were obscured by the crowd of students. As he looked at them all, a thought struck. This place was supposedly built as a school, right? Why then did they only have one elevator to get around? Wouldn't it have made more sense to have multiple means of getting to each and every floor? Or was he just overthinking things because of the mission Ozpin had given him?

"What are you thinking right now?" Blake once again snapped him from his thoughts. Damn it. He had to quit being so obvious about all the doubts he was having. What kind of spy was he?

"I was just..." He had to think of something to chance the subject. "...wondering if I really had what it takes to be here."

Blake grimaced and pulled her chair back out to sit next to him. She then placed a hand on his knee and squeezed. "You need to be more confident in yourself. You had what it takes to get into Beacon, after all. And you survived against that Chimera despite all the odds being stacked against you." He really didn't have what it takes to get into Beacon, though. They only let him stay here as leverage to get what they wanted.

"You don't have the littlest doubts about this place?" Now that he thought about it, he supposed Blake had no reason to doubt it here. He wouldn't question it at all if Ozpin and Qrow hadn't planted the seeds in his head.

Blake shrugged. "Something about this whole thing isn't adding up, but this is the path I chose and if it helps me become a Huntress faster, than I have no complaints. We just have to watch our backs while we're here. I trust you to have mine, just like you did in that cave."

"I guess…" She was right of course. No matter what it was that was truly going on here, he was doing this so he could become a Huntsmen. All he had to do was expose this place for whatever the heck Ozpin thought it was and he could still be on that track. Finding the secret here would ensure Blake's survival too.

"My, my. How boring." Shirou commented and they both tensed immediately as he stopped behind them. "Where's your sense of excitement? Don't you two want to seek out the thrill of life and death?"

"We didn't come here for a life of excitement. Not all of us at least." Blake turned to Shirou and stared at him evenly.

"Life is no fun if you don't try to find some excitement in it. Live like everyday is your last. You never know if it might be; Especially here." Jaune had no idea why Shirou insisted on looking at him the whole time he spoke. He hadn't even been the one to say anything yet. Blake appeared to notice this too because she kept glancing back and forth between them.

"Is there something you wanted with us, Headmaster?" Her voice had a slight edge to it now.

"Just thought I'd get to know some of my students is all." Shirou gave them both a disarming smile, not that it had any effect on either of them. "I also thought I would let Mister Arc know that I'll be taking the leaders out on a training trip tomorrow. Just think of it as a warm-up for things to come."

"Just the leaders?" Blake suddenly sounded very concerned and Jaune didn't blame her. If it was just the leaders, that meant he wouldn't be with anyone from his team. He had no idea how he was going to survive without any of them. At least he would be with Pyrrha. That was a good thing, right? She was pretty strong so surely she could protect him. That sounded bad when he put it like that. He should be worried about being able to protect others, not himself.

"There are some qualities I wish to put to the test among the leaders. Your lives here are going to be strenuous and I need to be sure you're up to the challenge. If I feel anyone is not ready, I withhold the right to send them back. We have no need for someone that is going to die fruitlessly out here, after all." Those words cut more deeply than Jaune would care to admit. Even more-so seeing as they seemed to be directed right at him.

"It looks like the elevator is free. I think we'll be taking our leave now." Blake stood up and grabbed Jaune by the elbow, pulling him up as well.

"You have a goodnight now, Mister Arc. Hopefully we can have a more engaging conversation tomorrow when your overprotective partner isn't with us." Jaune looked back in horror as Blake dragged him away.

The smile on the older man's face was the same perpetual and creepy one as always.

* * *

 **Chapter End**

* * *

 **AN:** So Lambent and my OC.

Shirou is Japanese for White and that's where his name comes from. In that regard, his name has the same meaning as Weiss' name. At one point, I was hesitant when creating this story to use an OC but it ended up being inevitable seeing as I needed someone to run Lambent and I did at least try to connect him to one of the main cast. He's also fun for me to write.

Penny was also fun to write. I'm actually really proud of the way that whole interaction turned out even if it was mostly reminiscent of her introduction in the show. While I could've introduced Cinder, Mercury, and Emerald as a team from Haven, I feel that part of the point of changing the location was to get away from them and their plans. Let Ozpin find someone else to handle them, I say.

Next time, the leaders from all the schools get together and the mission Shirou spoke about begins.


	6. Thorns

Coeur Al'Aran was the beta for the original Auburn and helped me immensely during a period when we were both just getting started. Cover Art drawn by confections101 and a link to it is on my profile page. Jefardi is the one who finally kicked my butt into gear to do something about this story I had almost given up on.

* * *

 **Auburn**

 _Thorns_

* * *

Jaune groaned and rolled over in his bed. He was having a Hell of a time sleeping and couldn't for the life of him figure out why. Maybe it had something to do with that buzzing noise? What was that anyway? He buried his head under his pillow and tried to block it out. To no avail.

Maybe Weiss would take care of it? Of course, that couldn't exactly happen since he was in this room all by himself. It took him several attempts of repeating that notion to finally get it through his head. The room was, after all, way too small to accommodate more than one person comfortably. A twin-sized bed sat in the corner and in front of it was a small dresser. All his belongings had been set meticulously atop it, where he just left them. Next to the bed was a desk and chair, creating just a small walkway between the two. Other than that, he had about three square feet of entranceway to move around.

He tossed his pillow off and let out a much louder groan as he crawled out of bed to find the source of his ire. Blue eyes came to rest upon a small light sitting on the desk and he ambled over to it, his brain still half-asleep. What freaking time was it? He had to find his scroll. Oh wait, it was his scroll that was making all this racket in the first place. Someone was calling him and a quick glance at the time showed it just past midnight. Who would be calling him at this time?

"Hello?" He mumbled into the receiver.

"Ah, Mister Arc!" Shirou Schnee's chipper voice came over the other end and energy surged through Jaune's body. "How are you doing today?"

"I'm-uhhh... good, I guess?" What was up with this guy? He had already talked to him today. About four hours ago specifically.

"I'm very glad to hear that. I just sent out a message to all the other leaders but I figured I would do you the honor of calling in person. If you're anything like me then you're a naturally deep sleeper." The Hell was this guy on about now? Even though he was more or less awake, he wasn't able to put together why he would be messaging students at midnight. "Don't tell me you forgot?"

"I'm sorry... sir-"

"You can call me Shirou."

"Yeah, okay." He wasn't going to be doing that anytime soon. "I don't remember you saying anything about having to do something at midnight."

"Nonsense, you're just thinking about it all wrong! It's midnight which means that it is fact now tomorrow. You remember what I told you we would be doing tomorrow, don't you?"

Jaune opened and closed his mouth several times as he tried and failed to properly respond. "Y-You mean we're going on that mission right now?"

"So you do remember! Yes, yes, right this moment. Get your gear and come up to my office. The other leaders shall be joining us shortly and we will all depart together." Seriously, why did this guy sound so happy? He was talking about marching out into Grimm territory in the middle of the night! That sounded absolutely terrifying.

And the only response he could give was a resigned sigh and a "I'll be right there." Before the Headmaster had a chance to respond he ended the call. Then he just sat there in silence for several moments, contemplating crawling back into bed and ignoring his mission altogether. Not just this one but the one for Ozpin too. It would be so much easier to stay in bed and never leave. Knowing there was no future in that, he quickly stripped his onesie and dressed in his combat gear before he had a chance to change his mind. After making sure he had absolutely everything he needed he ran out the door and into the hallway.

He stopped immediately outside and just stared at the door across from him. It was Blake's room. She had told him to stop and see her before the mission. She probably hadn't accounted for that mission to start at midnight, however. Then again, no one had. She would surely be asleep and would probably be angry at him for waking her. But he really wanted to see her too. He was about to go fight Grimm and for the first time he had done such a thing he wouldn't have her at his side. What if he wasn't ready to handle this on his own? What if he died out there? Their last conversation had hardly been anything he would call spectacular.

"Jaune?" A new voice pulled him from his thoughts and Pyrrha walked out from her room just down the hall. That was right! She was a leader too. Maybe he wouldn't be with Blake but he would have one of the most accomplished huntresses-in-training in this generation with him. Maybe he wouldn't die after all?

"Hey! You ready for this mission?" He put on the most confident persona he could muster and strut towards her.

"Is it a mission?" Pyrrha tilted her head. "The only thing my message said was that all the leaders are to report to the Headmaster's office immediately." That was right. Shirou had actually mentioned that he was the only one to be called. It seems like he would have at least said more than that in his message to the rest of them though.

"He may have mentioned it to me earlier." Jaune mumbled offhandedly.

Pyrrha nodded in acceptance and gave a polite smile as she indicated towards the elevator. "Shall we go then?"

"Ladies first." Jaune gave a dramatic bow and Pyrrha let out a giggle. He beamed positively at her reaction. It felt great to make such a beautiful girl laugh. They boarded the elevator together and stood side by side as it started to take them to the top floor. None of the other leaders appeared so either they were already at Shirou's office or still getting ready.

He glanced at Pyrrha out of the corner of his eye. She let out a long, tired yawn and stretched her arms far above her head. As she did she happened to accent her more womanly assets and he quickly averted his eyes to keep from staring, a deep blush now on his face. "Do elevators cause your motion sickness to act up too?" Pyrrha leaned forward in concern, her red ponytail dangling over her shoulder and he took a hurried step back.

"Y-yeah, they do." He lied. He would rather she think he was about to throw up then think he was checking her out. One would actually think he'd be used to dealing with beautiful girls by now. He had three of them on his team after all. Maybe it was because they were all on his team he tried really hard not to look at them that way. Weiss would murder him if he did and he had worked real hard to get the little respect she did have for him. He wasn't going to ruin it by flirting with her. Ruby was...well, she was Ruby. She was cute, quirky, and had the ability to act downright adorable on command. She reminded him of his sister. Blake... well, she was his partner.

"Would it help you if I rub your back?" Pyrrha had already entered his personal space yet again and he felt her hand pat him lightly. It took every fibre in his being not to yelp and jump away from the unexpected contact.

"Y-You don't have to do that." Damn that stutter of his. Where the Hell did all the confidence he had shown her at the beginning go? Oh, that was right. He faked it. He always fell apart after the first couple lines. Man, this must look pretty lame from her point of view.

Before he could try to redeem himself, the door opened and they arrived at Shirou's office. Pyrrha was already walking off the elevator and he had to quickly skip forward to keep up with her. The office was much smaller than he had imagined and it looked like every other team leader was already here, the now eight of them all rather cramped in front of a large wooden desk.

"Jaune! My very best friend! It is so wonderful to meet you again so soon!" He had no chance to react as someone sprung forward, wrapped him in a bone-crushing hug and hoisted him into the air.

"Penny!" He wheezed as his feet flailed and he felt his face his turn blue. Seriously, how ridiculously strong was this girl!? He tried glancing to Pyrrha for help but she took a nervous step away in case she received the same type of affection. Once again, he was on his own with this girl. "...Why are you hugging me?" He attempted to no avail to wiggle himself free and Penny tightened her grip a little more in response.

"Is this not how best friends greet one another?" Penny tilted her head and finally set him back on his feet. Jaune took in a huge breath as his lungs filled themselves with air.

"I suppose some friends do hug when they meet one another, yes." Since when did he and Penny become best friends? He had only had one conversation with her and had been relieved when it ended.

"Then why are you confused, Jaune? You can be so strange sometimes." Really now. She was calling him strange?

He barely recovered before two more blondes approached him. The first thing that came to mind with the first one was a single word: Abs. This dude was shredded and he had no problem showing it off. There was also a noticeable monkey tail swinging behind him. A faunus then, cool. The second had dark skin and her hair was more of a platinum blonde than either boys, dressed in some style he thought might be Mistrali.

"What's up, man? Name's Sun." The monkey faunus introduced first, extending out a hand. Jaune mumbled his own name and took it. "We're from Haven, although my original home is in Vacuo." He inclined his head towards the girl who was introducing herself to Pyrrha.

The girl then stepped up to him next. "I am Arslan, leader of team ABRN (Auburn)." Well, this was awkward.

"Uh... I'm Jaune Arc. Also leader of team AWBR (Auburn)." She quirked an eyebrow and Sun doubled over, placing both hands over his abs as he let out a long, probably-not-ironic laugh.

"Oooh... that's a good one, buddy. Seriously, though, what's your team name?" He wiped some stray tears from his eyes, grin still huge and plastered across his face.

"No, seriously. It's also Auburn." Sun's smile faltered and both Haven leaders looked to Pyrrha who nodded and held up her scroll.

"If you look at the database for students, it appears there are two Auburns, albeit with different acronyms." She shrugged as if to say it couldn't be helped.

"Huh, well I'll be damned." Sun shook his head and shrugged before beginning to wander away, apparently already bored of them. Arslan stood close by, now eyeing him as if trying to size him up. He really hoped she wasn't thinking anything ridiculous like determining which Auburn was better, because he would gladly relinquish that title to them. Although, his team might not go for that.

A dark-skinned boy in a classy outfit approached next, tipping his hat and giving Jaune what could only be an award-winning grin. He was pretty sure his teeth even sparkled. "'Sup? Name's Cole. Flynt Cole. I understand you're on the team with the Heiress."

"Weiss?" Jaune didn't know why he asked for clarification. Who else was he talking about? Not like Blake was royalty. "Yeah. I guess I am."

"Cool." Flynt nodded, but Jaune had no idea what to make of it. "I look forward to working with you. I'm from Atlas, like Penny who I see you've already met." He would rather not be reminded, but yeah, they'd met alright.

Then the last two approached. This time a girl with short purple hair and a guy with some pretty nifty looking claw-weapon-things. "I'm Nebula." The girl started and then pointed to the boy. "This here is Brawnz. We're both leaders from Shade." He and Pyrrha both re-introduced themselves, despite having said it multiple times already anyways so they almost certainly knew who they were. Still, it seemed the courteous thing to do at least.

With all the introductions out of the way he then looked past everyone and towards the desk, expecting to see the Headmaster standing behind it. When he didn't see him, he instead turned to ask one of the others to see if they knew.

"I'm glad you could all make it." Jaune let out a girly shriek as Shirou spoke from immediately behind him. As if he hadn't even heard it, Shirou kept right on talking. "We'll be taking an excursion out to a Grimm nest today in order for me to get a better evaluation of your skills. As the leaders of your respective teams, there are many things you must be prepared to face out here. Now if you all are ready, will you follow me?" He patted Jaune lightly on the shoulder and turned him around and back to the elevator.

"You're rather tense Mister Arc." Shirou then noted as they all piled in and began to ride back up to the roof.

Yeah, there was a pretty good reason for that. He would be a lot less tense if this guy would just allow him to go back to his room and go to bed. He didn't exactly care to go Grimm hunting when they were at their most deadly. He, of course, didn't voice any of this aloud.

Moonlight flooded into the tiny compartment as soon as the doors opened and the roar of an airship's engine could be heard as it waited just outside for them. A strong gust of cold wind whipped through the gaps and Jaune turned his head away from the unexpected chill. "Come on now, the ship is docking." He tapped Jaune's shoulder once again and he turned to the see the ship hung off the edge of the tower with its back-hatch open and waiting. The other students were already jogging ahead to board with the exception of Pyrrha, Penny, and Sun. The three of them were waiting for him. He smiled appreciatively at them and they all walked towards the ship together.

With a short jump he boarded the ship and its hatch began to close behind him. As it did, the ship started to move and he was hit all at once by a sense of vertigo. Ah crap. One more thing he had forgotten because he was so swept up in the moment was his motion sickness. He was about to make a complete dunce of himself in front of all the other leaders. There went any credibility he had. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad? They weren't likely going far so maybe it was just a matter of holding out. He could handle that. Probably.

"Excuse me, Mister Headmaster?" Penny extended her palm into the air and stood as high as she could on her toes as if it would make her easier to see then she already was.

"Go ahead Miss Penny." He nodded to her in acknowledgement.

"Yes Sir!" Penny saluted, although Jaune had no idea why. "Where is our destination and what is our objective tonight, Sir?" She at least brought up a couple good questions even if she asked them in a really strange manner. Maybe Ironwood had drilled his military training into her? Must have been rough growing up.

"Ah yes. I suppose you would all appreciate some details on what we'll be doing." He grinned at everyone and they all nodded quickly in agreement; Everyone except for Jaune who was trying to be as still as possible. The less he moved the better.

"We're heading to a location known as Razor Canyon. It is notable for the massive thorny vines that infest the entire gorge. It is also the location of a densely populated Deathstalker nest." Jaune gave a light heave and Shirou paused to look at him. For the first time Jaune had seen, his smile was gone and a disgruntled frown had replaced it.

"Sorry. Go on." Jaune waved for him to continue as he went back to focus on not puking. He also tried not to focus on the fact that he was about to go up against an army of Deathstalkers. He had only ever encountered one and he had no desire to repeat that experience. Hopefully they weren't dwelling in any caves.

Sun slid up to him as discreetly as possible and leaned close to him. "You feeling alright there bud?" He whispered under his breath.

Jaune gave him a thumbs up as he leaned against the wall of the ship. "Peachy. Just some light-headedness. I'll be fine." Hopefully.

"I hate to interrupt-" Then please don't, Jaune thought dryly as Shirou leaned over to them. "-but Mister Arc looks like he may lose the contents of his stomach at any second. If I may ask, why aren't you utilizing your Aura to stabilize yourself?"

Every gear in Jaune's brain ground to halt at what he heard. "You can do that!?" He half-yelled in a mix of shock and anger. If he could do that why hadn't someone felt the need to share that with him before now?

"Normally one's Aura does that automatically for them." Shirou sounded absolutely fascinated as he inspected Jaune up and down. "How did you have your Aura unlocked? Did a teacher at your old school do it or was it perhaps your parents?" Worry flashed across Jaune's face for a second before he reined it in. He couldn't let this guy know that Blake had only done it barely two weeks ago.

"Does it really matter who unlocked it?" He asked a little too defensively.

Shirou paid no mind to his tone. "Of course it matters. When it comes to unlocking your Aura there are many factors to consider. Your age, emotional state, who unlocked it, what chant they used. There is a whole myriad of factors that go into it and can have varying differences on both your Aura and even your Semblance. If done incorrectly, it could be catastrophic for you."

"My Aura works just fine!" Even if he had done it unintentionally he had just insinuated that Blake had messed up when unlocking his Aura. She wouldn't have made a mistake like that and his Aura had saved his life already several times. He knew it worked.

"It surely doesn't make that much difference, does it?" Pyrrha questioned. "Your Aura is the manifestation of your own personal soul. All of those things don't change who you are."

"Don't they?" Shirou seemed… kind of excited when he asked that. It was hard to tell since he was always smiling, but somehow this felt more genuine. "You can't tell me that the you four years ago is the same person you are now. Your opinions, attitudes, sometimes your whole personality changes. Not to mention that when someone unlocks your Aura, they're inserting a part of their soul into your own. That very act leaves residual effects that last the rest of your life."

As fascinating as it all was though, it wasn't helping him feel any less sick. So instead Jaune tune out the world around him and focused inwards as he always did when tapping onto his Aura. He found that little light in himself and called upon it. Almost immediately he felt sweet relief wash over himself as he did. He seriously wished he had known this earlier. He never had to worry about motion sickness again.

"What did you just do?" Sun asked and he realized everyone on the ship was staring at him with wide eyes.

"Uhh... what?" He didn't understand the question.

"You… started glowing all like purple, green, and red for a second and your Aura like pulsed over me." Sun looked to the others for backup and a couple of them nodded.

"Isn't that normal?" He really should have read that book about Aura that Blake had given him. As it stood he knew almost nothing other than a couple off-hand comments by her while she tried to figure out his Semblance.

"Most peculiar." Shirou rubbed his chin and smirked as he studied Jaune up and down once again. That was just great, he had already been on this guy's radar but now he had solidified himself as someone to keep an eye on. "Do you mind if I ask what your Semblance is?"

"My Semblance?" He didn't have the faintest clue what it was. That wasn't necessarily such a big deal. Blake had assured him that sometimes it took years for people to discover it, if they ever did. She had also said it usually reflected the type of person you were when your Aura was unlocked. The only thing he had wanted then and now was to help people. It would make sense if his Aura reflected that. At least he thought so.

Shirou seemed to sense Jaune's discomfort because he immediately amended his last question. "Well, it doesn't matter. This mission should tell us more. Actions speak louder than words, after all." And now he was expecting him to go out there and show him what he was made of. This kept getting better and better.

"Speaking of which, we're almost there." Shirou checked his scroll which was attached to his wrist like a watch. "I suggest you all mentally prepare yourselves. The Grimm out here are numerous and a lot of them grow to be incredibly large." Jaune gulped at his words. "Having said that, we believe this nest to be fresh so there should only be a couple full-grown Deathstalkers."

"Just a couple." Jaune repeated dryly. That sounded like a couple more than he wanted to face. Odds were in his favor that one of the others would take care of them for him. He should probably try to stick as close to Pyrrha as possible and just pick off some of the easier ones. It wasn't the most noble way to fight but it had kept him alive so far. At the very least it felt good to know he had others so it wasn't like he was going to be alone. Thinking that he also turned to Penny. "You ready for this?"

Penny gave him another one of her serious salutes. "I am combat ready!" He would take that as a yes.

The hatch began to open just after she said that. "That's good, because we're here." Shirou gestured out into the air. "Students first." Looks like they were jumping again. What was it with Hunters having to jump out of everything? He got that it was dangerous for the ship to touch down and all but he was seriously getting sick of this.

"Let's do this." Sun didn't even hesitate to sprint full force out the back and jump. With numerous shouts of encouragement the others all followed quickly after him.

Jaune took several deep breaths as everyone ran around him made their way off the ship and into combat. He could do this. He had to do this. Pyrrha spared him a quick backwards glance before she also jumped. The only ones that had yet to move were himself, Penny, and Shirou.

He needed to hurry. If he fell too far behind Pyrrha he wasn't going to be able to stick closely to her. With every ounce of willpower he had, he took his first step forward. Before he could take his next, Penny's arm lock around his neck. "It is time for our grand entrance, Jaune!" She broke into a run and nearly yanked him off his feet to drag him along.

"Wait! Penny! Not like this!" It was too late and she jumped off the ship, throwing them both into free fall. Instinctively he wrapped an arm around her waist as they tumbled, not able to do much else.

The others below him were already fighting, having likely come across Grimm the moment they hit the ground. Speaking of the ground, hearing about where they were heading and actually seeing it were two very different things. They were falling right towards a massive chasm that appeared to split the earth in two for leagues.

On one end, the way they had come from, was an open field of nothing but rocks and dirt. Abandoned or dried up farmland, it looked like. On the other was a lush forest thicker than any he had ever seen, as if the Canyon itself was some kind of divide between the two.

How deep it went was impossible to tell due to the massive network of twisting vines that filled it. Each individual vine was so large it easily held four students fighting side-by-side and had giant thorns protruding all over their surface and if he was looking at it right, they were heading right for one those thorns.

"Penny! Please tell me you have a landing strategy!" They were mere seconds from a very painful death and Penny had yet to do anything to adjust their trajectory or slow their descent.

"Have no fear, Jaune! I have a plan!" He really hoped that plan involved dodging that thorn they were about to crash into. A small hissing noise reached his ears and he could've sworn he saw ten swords fly out of her backpack in the corner of his eye. He disregarded it as ridiculous until those swords flew across his vision and buried themselves in the wall of the canyon. Penny flexed her fingers and like they were attached to a string the swords reeled them in and changed their descent from downwards to sideways.

They flew for several yards until skidding to a stop on a vine that ran a little higher than the rest. Completely unharmed. "That was actually a really good plan."

Jaune patted himself down with his free hand and was relieved to feel he was all there. His other arm was still wrapped around Penny's waist and her own arm still had him in a headlock. The swords detached themselves from the wall and came flying back to her. They stopped behind her back and formed a circle where they hovered in place.

She finally removed her arm and he did the same as they both took in the surroundings. They stood on one of the higher vines and directly beneath them he could hear the other students' shouts of exertion as they clashed against their enemies. He ran to the edge and looked down to see numerous of the green stalks criss-crossing beneath him. A short distance away, he saw Pyrrha and Sun fighting side-by-side as they each took on at least four Deathstalkers.

At least these Deathstalkers weren't nearly as big as the one he and Blake had encountered in the cave. A majority of them were only up to his waist tall and they appeared to be much less durable than the bigger ones as evidence when Pyrrha's sword pierced one in the head and killed it.

"There's a free group for us down there Jaune!" From the darkness below came a small armada of the creepy little bastards, the bulbs of their stingers illuminating them. They were pretty far removed from the others and were scaling their way up the vines with terrifying precision.

"Oh boy. Maybe we should meet up with the others? That looks like a lot for us to take on by ourselves." He took a couple steps back and hoped Penny had the sense to listen to him.

"Just leave this to me!" Or she would completely ignore him and charge forward by herself. That worked too. She jumped down and flew towards the Grimm. He glanced back at everyone else. No one was isolated and they all had a partner by their side. He would be absolute scum to leave Penny on her own. Dammit.

"Here goes nothing." He unhooked Crocea Mors and let out a long sigh. Then he chased after his weirdest friend. Scurrying down the vines wasn't as difficult as he thought, with the thorns acting as footholds for him to quickly and easily plan his route. It still wasn't fast enough to help the girl he was chasing.

Penny did wield ten swords at once though, which had to make her pretty capable, right?

The answer to that question was beyond a shadow of a doubt: Yes. Her swords flew from her back and homed in on the Deathstalkers like missiles. They slashed, pierced, and cut through them like butter before she had even landed on the ground. How was she doing that? Maybe she could teach him to do that with his sword?

As she was preoccupied with the Grimm in front of her though a dozen of them scurried from around the underside of the vines behind her. "Penny!" He shouted in warning as he finally jumped to the vine she was fighting on.

He landed on the back of one of the Deathstalkers and thrust his sword directly into its head. With a sickening crunch he pierced its flesh. It collapsed beneath him not even a second later. A couple of the others turned to him and their beady, red eyes glared angrily at him. The rest continued after Penny.

"Don't ignore me!" He jumped off of the one he was standing on and rushed past the couple that were coming for him. One of the lunged at him with its stinger. Dodging around the side of one of the giant thorns, the stinger struck that in his place.

He ran up on the unsuspecting Grimm and slashed wildly. A wet slop followed by a thunk saw one of the stingers severed right off. The owner of that stinger gave a terrifying screech. It only just started to thrash when he stabbed it again. This time killing it.

So far so good. Two down, only a hundred to go. A flash of orange out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. He brought his shield. Just in time to block the stinger strike of one of the couple he had run past. It hissed at him. His response was a thrust of the sword that killed it.

Two more ran up on either side and lunged. He jumped and rolled out of the way but failed to recover properly. His head smashed into one of the thorns. "That hurt." It was a struggle to get back to his knees. As he did another stinger descended on his head. He brought his shield up and barely blocked the strike. Thanks to his awkward stance he was knocked over and onto this back.

Three of them stood over him now. He crawled backwards in an awkward sprawl. A poor attempt to put distance between himself and them. He didn't get far before he ran smack into the same thorn that had interrupted his roll.

Well, this had gone south very quickly. Not that he was really surprised by the sudden turn of events. He didn't exactly have much talent of his own. That was why someone from his team needed to be here to follow-through.

Their stingers poised to strike and his body tensed. All three of them paused. He hoisted himself into a crouch, using the thorn to his back as support. Holding his sword, he flipped it so he held it in the reverse of his usual style.

Penny was still engaging her own set of opponents. He had to do this if he wanted to survive. Blake would be ashamed if he went down like this. He just really hoped it worked.

Their stingers jabbed simultaneously. Jaune swung his sword arm around to intercept. Adrenaline caused time to appear to stop for just a brief second. In that moment of clarity, he knew which stringer was going to hit first. And he knew just where he needed to swing to save his life.

With a loud roar, his sword sliced right where the tail met the stinger of the Deathstalker to his right. It continued through without slowing down and continued until it did the same thing to the two Deathstalker's after.

Their stingers hit the ground and their tails whipped like broken cords. The Grimm continued to hiss at him and struck with their pincers instead. They certainly didn't know when to give up. He kicked off the ground and brought his shield forward. It bashed the left one in the face.

He then loosed his grip on his sword, spinning it around so he could hold it properly. His grip restored, he swung downwards, cutting the middle one open. Then with a rapid backpedal, he got away from the pincers of the last one.

Finally he was able to put some distance between himself and them, not that they posed much threat without their main form of attack. They could certainly still kill him. He just liked his chances of survival much better now.

At least, he did until four more scuttled up behind them. "Oh come on!" One on one was one thing. He could probably handle that all day, but this was ridiculous.

Should he make a run for it? That would probably look pretty pathetic. Which might be fine as long as it kept him alive. Six Deathstalkers, even little ones, were probably a little too much for him. He once again glanced over to Penny, but she was gone. Before he could think much of it though she landed directly in front of him. "Whoa!"

"I told you to leave this to me, Jaune." Despite her words, she didn't sound at all upset. Her swords flew through the air and made short work of the six Deathstalkers Jaune had just been worrying about.

Did she have to abandon the ones she was killing just to save him? That was what he thought must have happened until he glanced around him. He had to double-take as he took in the sight of all the dead Grimm. She had easily killed more than thirty of them on her own! He had killed a whopping four before being forced to retreat. He really could have left it to her.

"I think we have eliminated all of the Deathstalkers in our area. We should move on to assist the others." Penny spun around and the swords returned to her back. They had descended a little farther than the others now and he couldn't see any of them but it sounded like they were doing well. This wasn't turning out to be much of a mission. Not that he was complaining.

"You think you can-" Jaune started to say but cut himself short as a loud crash echoed across the canyon. Following just behind it were several screams of what he thought to be terror. If something could freak these guys out, it was bad news. "Penny! Get us up there!" Jaune ran up to her and wrapped his arm around her waist like before.

"Right!" Penny's sword flew into the air and latched onto a vine just above them. For a brief second, he thought he caught a glimpse of wires thanks to the moonlight. That certainly explained how she was controlling them. It must have been reeling them in too because in only a moment Penny was hoisted into the air, taking Jaune with her.

What he saw when they gained a high enough vantage point was anything but pleasant. Two giant Deathstalker's had arisen from the depths beneath them and had begun their assault. The remaining six students had been broken into teams of three to try and combat them. Pyrrha, Sun, and Brawnz were one team. Nebula, Arslan, and Flynt formed the other.

Brawnz was down. Sun scrambled to drag him backwards and away from the gigantic Grimm, leaving Pyrrha to fight it herself. In the other party, Nebula didn't seem to be fairing much better than her fellow student from Shade but was at least up and fighting, with a noticeable limp. Four versions of Flynt were blasting at the giant Grimm to no effect and Arslan was taking a stance to charge.

"We gotta help them." Jaune's mind kicked into overdrive as he attempted to devise a plan. The one Deathstalker was fairly close to them. If he just jumped a little to the right he would land on a vine that would take him right to it. It was a steep slope down. He'd have trouble maintaining his balance and fighting it at the same time.

If there was a way for him to get beneath it like when he and Blake... wait a second, he had it! "Penny! I'll take care of the one closest to us. Can you help take care of the other one?"

"I certainly can, Captain!" Penny saluted and began swinging from side to side. Once she had enough momentum, Jaune let go and flew towards the vine the others were fighting on. He landed on it more roughly than intended and his feet buckled beneath him. "You okay?"

"I'm fine! Go help the others!" Jaune waved it off and Penny saluted once more before swinging herself off to do as ordered.

He looked down the slope and was relieved to see the Deathstalker had its back turned to him. Pyrrha was still trying to bat it off, but it was a fruitless endeavor, her Dust rounds and weapon unable to penetrate its exterior shell. A collapsed vine had meanwhile cornered the barely conscious Brawnz and Sun who had been attempting to drag him away, leaving them no room to escape.

"Okay, I can do this. I've done this before." Jaune took a couple deep breaths as he slipped his shield off and dropped it on the ground in front of him. Just like when he escaped from the Chimera... only this time he would be charging right towards the giant creature of Grimm instead. It swung its pincer and nearly clipped Pyrrha. Sun roared and fired his weapon, leaving the still stunned Brawnz leaning against the vine.

He couldn't hesitate any longer. With a slight kick and jump he sent his shield sliding down and landed on it. It accelerated immediately and with far more velocity than he had anticipated. Channeling Aura into his feet, he prepared for the swift impact that was going to follow if he pulled this off. If he didn't... well then he would die regardless if he survived this part or not.

"Get out of the way!" He shouted as loud as he could, just short of coming up on the Deathstalker.

"Jaune?" That sounded like Pyrrha, maybe. He was too scared to really try and separate people apart by their voices right now.

"What the Hell are you doing?" Sun quickly hefted Brawnz to his feet and helped him dodge the Deathstalker's stinger.

"Please work. Please work. Please work." Jaune chanted like a mantra and closed his eyes just as he slid under the Deathstalker. Once completely enveloped by its shadow he thrust upwards. The satisfying sound of his sword tearing into flesh reached his ears and the Deathstalker screamed horrendously. Crocea Mors gouged a giant hole into its underside. Blood splattered behind him as the creature's wound gushed heaps of it. In only a second he appeared at the other end and slammed into the collapsed vine.

His legs seized in pain and his whole vision shot white. Thankfully his Aura protected him from any real damage. The Grimm behind him, meanwhile, had already quit yelling. It teetered and collapsed, sliding off the vine. There were then several loud crashes as it bounced further and further into the darkness below.

The other three students stood completely still, probably in shock, as they tried to process what had just happened. "Did you just…" Sun's mouth started working first. "...kill it?"

"Uhh... I think so?" Jaune just lay where he was, partially because he was still too relieved it had worked and partially because his legs still hurt like a bitch.

"Incredible!" Pyrrha whispered breathlessly. "How did you even think to do that?"

"I've done something similar before. Although, last time it nearly took me down with it." Feeling was finally beginning to return to his legs. Thank you, Aura!

He finally managed to get to his knees when Brawnz mumbled in stunned disbelief. "You… just saved our lives."

"Well, I wouldn't go that far." Jaune stopped rising and mumbled while scratching his cheek.

"No you definitely did! We would have died if it wasn't for you!" Sun chimed in and Pyrrha voiced her agreement as well which only served to fluster Jaune further. He hadn't done anything that great. It was just dumb luck that it had worked out after all.

"Come on! Time to get up, Hero." Sun teased and grabbed Jaune gruffly under one of his shoulders.

"You should be more proud of yourself. You did a great thing." Pyrrha beamed at him and assisted Sun in lifting him to his feet.

"No, no. It really wasn't." Jaune continued to try to deny their praises anyways. It wasn't right of him to accept it. He wasn't that great of a student at all. They were all much more talented than him so being praised by them just felt wrong.

A flash of green behind caught all their attention and they turned to see Penny firing a massive Dust beam at her Deathstalker, ripping it into pieces. Now that was how you got things done. Seriously, how did she do that?

"I think you've got some competition." Sun patted Jaune sympathetically on the shoulder. He disagreed, of course, he didn't stand a chance against a girl that could do something like that.

"We should spread out, but not too far." Pyrrha hopped up the vine that was blocking their path. "There might still be some Grimm around. We need to be careful."

"Right!" The other two quickly spread out, Brawnz having apparently recovered enough to return to combat. Jaune hurried to keep up with Pyrrha.

"Did you see where the Headmaster went off to?" He hefted himself up. There hadn't been any sign of him since they jumped. Even if they were expected to be elite students, they hadn't really had any kind of classes out here yet. It seemed like he would be invested in making sure they all remained alive for now.

Pyrrha shook her head. "I haven't seen him." She continued to scan for anyone that was in need of assistance.

"I think everyone is more or less wrapping things up." Arslan landed nimbly next to them. "Watching those two big ones get taken out like they were nothing was a pretty handy morale booster. I thought someone was actually going to die for a minute there."

"There have yet to be any casualties!" Penny yelled from a vine above them. She jumped down and was quickly followed by Nebula and Flynt. Jaune nodded and did a quick head count. It looked like almost everyone was accounted for. He glanced at where Pyrrha was looking to see Brawnz kill off what looked like the last couple Deathstalkers, beating on them like he was trying to get revenge for earlier.

Was that... it?

He had expected this whole thing to be much more dire than what it was. Maybe that was just him being overly pessimistic. Even so, he couldn't shake the feeling that it wasn't over. It was apparent he was alone in these thoughts as the others clamored happily amongst one another and talked about how many they had killed. He stared awkwardly at them, not really sure how to join in.

Sun appeared to take notice of this and patted Jaune roughly on the back. "How about some cheers for Jaune and Penny?" He shouted loud enough to get everyone's attention. "Without the two of them one of us might have actually bit the dust to those big bastards! They each killed one of them single-handedly!"

Before Jaune had a chance to protest he was overwhelmed by yells of agreement to Sun's words. Several of them stepped forward and patted him as they gave their thanks. He shrunk back under their attention and gratitude. Penny appeared unfazed as she received similar praise.

"Jaune? You alright?" Pyrrha stepped close to him and whispered into his ear. She was the only one that seemed to realize they were making him uncomfortable.

He nodded and gave her the most confident smile he could which he had no doubt wasn't the least bit so. "I've always wanted to get this kind of praise. Now that I'm actually getting it... I'm just not sure what to do." He mumbled back as quietly as he could.

"That's easy!" Not quietly enough as Sun overheard him. "When we get back to Lambent we're gonna get you a date! Use your achievements to your advantage!" That actually didn't sound too bad. He wouldn't mind a date after all this shit.

A loud ringing pitch interrupted their celebration and everyone's hands flew to their ears and their eyes squinted shut. Then the noise disappeared. "The Hell was that?" Flynt shouted.

"It sounded like microphone feedback." Pyrrha held her hands close to her ears in case it happened again.

As they all tried to figure out what possibly could have caused it, their scrolls started ringing. Everyone shared a confused look as they pulled them out. Jaune immediately recognized the number since it had just called him earlier.

It was Shirou Schnee.

He answered while everyone else was still trying to figure out who it was. All of their scroll's click open in response. "Hello everyone! Sorry about that noise just a second ago! I set the whistle to the wrong frequency."

Whistle? Frequency? What was he talking about?

"I am also sorry to tell you all that I lied to you. Coming out here to clear the nest wasn't your true mission. Your actual training is unfortunately going to be a little more tricky than just that. You see, my scroll is now releasing a signal human's aren't capable of detecting. Grimm on the other-hand, well they can hear it for leagues and let me tell you does it drive them crazy! Odds are they'll be swarming this location in a matter of minutes."

"What!?"

"Are you crazy?!"

"Now, now, don't be like that. I'm not so cruel as to leave you guys stranded. Just before this, I called your teammates and gave them this location. They should be running out here to save you now. Maybe. That or they'll stay where it's safe and leave you all to die." Blake, Ruby and Weiss wouldn't do that! ...Would they? Well, Weiss might.

"Which leaves you all three options." Shirou talked as if he didn't care about his concerns. "You can hold out in this canyon until dawn. If your teammates are stupid enough to come running, that will be your best option. Sure, a few of you will inevitably succumb to death before this is all over but I have good faith that at least half of you will survive. We can reconfigure teams after."

At least half? This guy planned on letting half of them die!? Jaune's breath quickened and became short as fear gripped him.

"You're of course welcome to flee. The signal is coming from my scroll, after all, so I'm the one they're running too. This signal tends to rile Grimm up and they'll probably attack the first thing they see. So be stealthy about it if you choose to do that. I'm not too sure how much your teammates are going to appreciate you abandoning this location though, seeing as they might be running towards this deathtrap specifically to save you. As a precaution, I deactivated your teammate's scrolls so you won't be able to get a hold of them. Ultimately, the choice is yours."

Everyone glanced at one another, his words dangling over their heads. It went without saying they couldn't run. They also couldn't stand here when it was likely half of them were going to die. There had to be something else.

"...One last thing you could do." Shirou's voice cut back in after a half-minute's pause. "I'm currently hidden in the canyon beneath you all. If you could find me and are capable of destroying my scroll, you could end this whole thing before it even has a chance to begin."

That didn't sound so bad. Maybe that was their best option? He couldn't possibly take on the eight of them.

"This is the option I recommend least. I am capable of cutting down most of these Grimm out here with a single stroke and I won't hesitate to use those skills against you if you come after me. I have no need for weak students that are going to attempt the easy way out." Jaune gulped. Well, there went that idea. He wasn't going to be the one going after him, that was for sure.

"Well then, that is all. Good luck." With a click, all their scrolls hung up at once and they could only stare in shock at one another.

If his words were to be believed, half of the students were going to die. All eight of them if their teams didn't get here in time or never came at all.

No one dared moved or say a word. They didn't know what to say.

Finally, a noise permeated through the silence but it wasn't a comforting one.

It was the angry cries of hundreds of Grimm as they zeroed in on their location.

* * *

 **Chapter End**

* * *

 **AN:** One benefit of redoing this story is I have way more Canon character to use now so I got to put names, faces, and abilities to all the leaders Jaune is fighting alongside with. I didn't do much with them aside from Penny, but just having them there made it feel far less ambiguous than it did the first rendition through, so I'll say it's a major improvement.

Next time, Blake and the others set out and Shirou's past is revealed.


	7. Pride

Coeur Al'Aran was the beta for the original Auburn and helped me immensely during a period when we were both just getting started. Cover Art drawn by confections101 and a link to it is on my profile page. Jefardi is the one who finally kicked my butt into gear to do something about this story I had almost given up on.

* * *

 **Auburn**

 _Pride_

* * *

"Good morning students of Lambent!"

Blake jolted up from her bed at the unexpected voice. On instinct she reached for Gambol Shroud and her body tensed for immediate combat. Only half-way through the action did she realize how silly that was. She was in a bed in her room in the middle of a secure tower. Alone. No one had snuck up on her in her sleep and she was in no danger. At least, she didn't think so. Her damn jumpiness from all those years of living with a criminal organization still lingered in her subconscious apparently.

No, she had to calm down and just think about what happened. That was the voice of Shirou Schnee, the headmaster of Lambent. He had addressed the entire student body. That meant he must have been coming through a speaker in her room. Just as she finished thinking this he continued. "I apologize for waking you up at this hour but I figured you would all want to hear this as soon as possible."

Speaking of, what time was it? It was impossible to tell in here with no windows. Blake grabbed her scroll and eyebrow quirked up when she saw it was just past one in the morning. He had better have a really good reason for interrupting their sleep.

"I am contacting you all from a place known as Razor Canyon. It is about five miles to the south-west of Lambent. I've actually gone ahead and pinged it on your scrolls for you. Don't lose that spot because I've also cut the signal to them with that message, and you won't be able to utilize some functions until I deem it appropriate."

Blake got to her feet and flicked the light to her room on as Shirou was talking. Once done, she glanced around for the speaker and found it located just above her sliding door. She didn't know why, but it was comforting to stare at the source of the voice.

"You're probably wondering why I am informing you of all of this." He had that right. "Well, this is the fun part. You're all going to enjoy this. About an hour ago, I took your leaders with me on a training excursion... only it's not really a training excursion. You see, I would guess hundreds of Grimm are about to come charging towards us any minute now. Your leaders... well, they're all going to die."

Blake's heart stopped for a second.

"Jaune."

She bolted for the door. She held her scroll up to it. It didn't move. She pulled at the handle but it remained wedged shut. She was trapped.

"That is, they'll all die if you don't come running to this location to change that. Before any of you go doing that, however, I want you to think about something." He wasn't exactly giving them a choice by locking them in their rooms. "Your leaders make up one fourth of the total student body. That's really not a large amount when you think about it. If you come running out here after them, I guarantee about half of you will die. That is double the amount of casualties as opposed to if you all just stayed put. Is it really worth risking two of you just to maybe save one person?"

Blake kicked her door in frustration and hissed loudly. She was ready to blow it open with Dust if she didn't get out in the next couple seconds. What kind of nonsense did he think he was spouting off? Blake would charge out there by herself if she had to. She wasn't leaving Jaune to die.

"Just some food for thought. Whether you stay behind or come out to die with them makes no difference to me. The choice is now yours." The speaker clicked off and the door slid open simultaneously. Blake stumbled out from the sudden lack of resistance but quickly regained her footing and slammed herself into Jaune's door immediately across the hall.

"Jaune! Jaune, open the door if you're in there!" She banged on it as hard as she could but she wasn't going to get any response and she knew it. He was gone.

That idiot! She had told him to see her before his mission. Did he forget or had he simply decided because it had been midnight to let her sleep? It didn't matter. Either way she was furious. She would give him an earful later. Right after she gut Shirou Schnee wide open.

"Jaune!" Ruby bolted out her door only a second later. She scurried up to Blake who only shook her head. The younger girl immediately looked around in panic as she tried to figure out what the next step to take was.

"Pyrrha!" Yang ran out of her room too. She punched her leader's door so hard it left a dent.

"Glorious Leader!" Nora cried right behind her. Ren silently exited his room but the worry was evident. Shouts, yells, and cried echoed further down the hall as every team from the other schools came to check for their leaders too.

"Would you all just stop with your yammering!" Weiss appeared from the room next to Blake's. Compared to the rest of them, she looked incredibly composed. She was already in her combat attire and was hooking Myrtenaster to her hip. "The faster you all quit floundering around like fish out of water and gear up, the faster we can save Pyrrha and that dunce."

Blake may have disliked Weiss, but in this case she made a good point. They weren't going to accomplish anything in their sleepwear. If she wanted to save Jaune and kill that crazy Headmaster, she needed to think quickly and rationally. Usually that was her specialty but it seemed whenever Jaune was brought into the equation she threw some of that out the window. Something she needed to work on.

Silently, she stalked back to her room as quick as her feet would take her. Ruby had already vanished in a flurry of petals. Yang returned to her own room mumbling curses the whole way while Nora skipped to hers. Ren, like Ruby, had already vanished into his. The other teams seemed to figure the same and everyone set about to gear up.

Blake immediately changed clothes and equipped Gambol Shroud to her back. She grabbed her scroll and tried to dial Jaune on the way out but it was no longer receiving any kind of reception. Dammit!

She stepped out of her room to see Ruby and Ren already prepared, along with numerous students from the other schools. It still wasn't nearly enough of them. Every second they wasted was a second Jaune might die.

"Belladonna, you need to calm down. I can feel your Aura seething from here." Weiss clicked her heels against the metal floor and Blake turned on the Heiress.

"You don't appear the least bit surprised by these turn of events. Did you know about this?" It wouldn't surprise her one bit if Weiss had a hand in this somehow.

"How dare you!" Weiss' shoulders hiked and she leaned forward as her face reddened. "I would never go along with such a barbaric test!"

"You don't seem very surprised by this outcome either." Yang reappeared from her room.

"That's because I know my uncle! This stupid game is exactly like something he would come up with. Now if you're all ready; let's go!" She turned around and stomped towards the elevator just as Nora re-emerged.

"This isn't exactly a game, Weiss." Ruby jogged up to her partner. "Jaune and Pyrrha really might die. Along with a lot of others." They stopped at the elevator and waited impatiently for it to arrive. While they waited, several other teams piled up behind them. It was going to get very cramped in that elevator very fast. Not a single person looked to want to stay behind.

"You all really don't get it." Weiss gave an exasperated sigh and turned to face them. "Life is one big game to my uncle. Especially when that life is on the line. I guarantee you he gave them several options too. He knows we're all going to come running to save them. He's planning on it."

"What does he plan to accomplish by doing this then?" Ren rubbed his chin as he considered Weiss' words. "Does he really plan to allow half of us to die?"

"He's certainly prepared for that outcome." Weiss nodded and Blake felt her hair bristle. What kind of shit had they gotten themselves involved with? "My guess is he gave them some kind of loophole. Some way out. He probably presented it as the least viable option but in actuality, that is the one he wants them to take the most. That's what he does."

"What kind of loophole stops hundreds of Grimm from swarming on you?" Yang asked the question that Blake knew Weiss had no way of answering. They simply didn't have enough information.

The elevator dinged just as the rest of the student's arrived. Weiss turned to it and was the first to stroll in, leaving her words hauntingly behind as she did.

"We're just going to have to find out when we get there."

* * *

"We need a plan. Like ASAP." Sun was the first one amongst the team of doomed hunters-in-training to say something. The sound of Grimm was getting louder and they could feel the ground start to shake as every second brought more and more of them stampeding closer.

"Shouldn't we just do what he said and defend ourselves until our teammates arrive?" Nebula didn't sound so sure about her own plan.

"No way! I say we get the Hell out of here!" Brawnz shouted and more voices joined in with his.

"And leave our teammates to come running to their deaths?" Arslan scowled. "We're supposed to be leaders!"

"It'll take them an hour to get here! We might already be dead before they show up!" Brawnz again.

"Perhaps we should try to find him? There is no way he could take all of us." Penny offered.

"I'm not going after that psycho! Who knows how many of us he'll split in half before we manage to subdue him!" Flynt rejected her immediately. "The second option is definitely the best!"

"What do you think, Jaune?" Sun suddenly asked but received no reply.

"Jaune?" Pyrrha prodded him with her finger.

"What's up?" He asked and looked at her before realizing everyone else was staring at him. "Oh. When you said Jaune you were referring to me? I thought you meant that other guy named... Jaune." Yeah okay. That sounded really stupid now that he said it out loud. "Why are we asking me again?"

"You came up with that ingenious idea to take down a full-grown Deathstalker, man! Surely you have some kind of plan to get us outta this mess." Sun clapped him hard in the back and he almost stumbled forward.

"Right…" What had he gotten himself into? He had simply been trying to make sure people didn't die. He hadn't been trying to default himself to leader of the group. What the Hell did he know? Now he had to think of something quick. They were all looking at him expectantly. Just spit out the first thing that came to mind. They would realize he was incompetent and go back to figuring it out themselves. "So... the headmaster gave us three options. Who says we only have to pick one?" They all looked at him like he had grown another head. So far so good then. "Look, there's eight of us. There's no reason we can't split up and still survive this." Sure, splitting up was a horrible enough idea.

"He has a good point." Nebula suddenly started nodding, somehow grabbing something from his logic. "I think two of us should head out to meet the others that are coming to save us. It might not be much, but maybe we can even draw some of the Grimm away too." That sounded absolutely horrible. Who in their right mind would volunteer for that?

"What would be the point?" Arslan asked and before Jaune could do so much as shrug, Pyrrha cut in with her scroll held up.

"He said he cut off our teammate's scrolls. Ours are still receiving a connection though. We can still communicate amongst ourselves using the walkie function. Once that team finds the others, we can relay our situation and even coordinate a strategy with them. If we play it right we might even be able to pincer some of the Grimm between both groups. That must be what Jaune was aiming for."

"That makes sense." Arslan then nodded in agreement.

"Ingenious! How did you even realize that, Jaune?" Brawnz jostled him this time.

Uh... they were aware that they came up with that on their own, right?

"I'll go!" Sun stepped forward and volunteered himself for the role. "As a Faunus, I should be able to detect the others a little more readily. Nebula, you want to come with me? I'd trust a fellow resident of Vacuo to have my back." The purple-haired girl nodded in response and not even a moment later and the two of them were heading for the rock face.

Jaune stared after them as they scaled the canyon with an open mouth. They did not just actually do that, did they? No one was supposed to take his idea seriously.

"What about the rest of us, Jaune?" He turned back to them to see them even more hopeful than before. They were all seriously expecting him to come up with the rest.

"He already told us what to do." Pyrrha cut him off and answered in his place. "This canyon offers a lot of protection and we should be able to confuse the Grimm by moving amongst the vines and striking at them from the shadows. If what the headmaster said is true, then they are going to be running straight for him. Hopefully they'll be too distracted to be checking every little nook and cranny for us.

"Meanwhile, another small group goes after the Headmaster?" Flynt nodded to Jaune, as if he had some kind of newfound respect for him despite the fact that he had literally come up with none of this.

"We should probably just send our best couple fighters. No point in sending someone he is just going to kill right away. That will leave a team of four behind." Arslan finished explaining 'his' plan for him.

"I have already detected where his signal is coming from. I shall lead the two of us down there." Penny spoke and Jaune nodded. It made sense Penny would be one of the two to go. He didn't know how strong the others were but none of them likely held a candle to Pyrrha. She was undoubtedly the other.

"Who's going to direct us while the two of you are down there?" Brawnz asked, looking at him as if he was one of the two someone going down there on that suicide mission.

"I'll take charge up here." Pyrrha declared and stepped forward. Murmurs spread as the other leaders recognized her.

"Wait, what?" If Pyrrha was staying up here then who was going after Shirou Schnee with Penny?

"Come on, Jaune! Let us go and achieve victory!" Penny whooped and grabbed Jaune by the head, dragging him away.

"Wait, wait! Penny! Why am I going with you?" He didn't understand. How did things end up this way?

"Good luck Jaune!" Pyrrha called after him. Wait a second! It was supposed to be her! Not him!

"You ask the strangest questions, Jaune." Penny jumped to the next vine down and pulled him down with her. He barely managed to land properly behind her. "You said the two strongest should go after Mister Schnee." No, someone else said that. They just gave him credit for saying it. "You and I are clearly the two strongest."

"I'm afraid I don't follow." How was it possible that not just Penny but everyone up there thought he was stronger than Pyrrha Nikos? Thee Pyrrha Nikos, four time winner of the Mistral Regional Tournament!

"You and I killed the strongest Grimm previously. May I add we did so effortlessly while the others struggled to so much as cause them any damage. Ergo we are the strongest pair amongst our peers." Penny stated this all matter-of-factly and Jaune's eye twitched.

What she said may have been true but it had been nothing more than dumb luck on his end. They probably would've figured something out even if he hadn't intervened. It was apparently too late to change their minds now.

As they descended into the darkness below he heard the sounds of fighting break out overhead. Whether he was ready for it or not, Shirou's true test had begun.

The deeper they descended, the less light they received from the moon and stars. He hadn't realized how bright it had appeared before until he had suddenly lost it. As it got too hard for him to even see his own hand in front of his face he pulled out his scroll and turned the flashlight on. A moment later Penny did the same.

"How far down do we have to go?" Now that he thought about it, how was it that Penny was tracking him anyways? She had said she had locked onto his signal but how exactly was she doing that? He could probably ask her but decided to just chalk it up to her Semblance or something similar. Really, he didn't even know why he still let things surprise him after everything he had been through.

"I believe he is on the canyon floor. We have to descend for a while yet." The vine they were currently walking on spiralled upwards and Penny tilted her gaze down in an attempt to find one that would lead them deeper. Jaune used his light to help her look and they finally located one about ten yards down. The vines were getting more and more scarce the further they descended it would seem.

"Hang on, Jaune." Penny's sword flew above them and buried themselves in a vine over their heads. He wrapped an arm around her waist and they stepped off together. The strings attached to her swords held them suspended in the air and began to unwind, lowering them deeper into the canyon. They touched down on the vine they had just seen earlier and continued to follow it. This one bent downwards at a steep angle and if Jaune had to guess would take them all the way to their destination.

"Do you have a strategy or anything for taking this guy on?" Jaune asked as he ambled carefully forward. He supposed they should be sprinting full force after this guy but he really didn't want to trip and fall off this thing. That would be kind of counterproductive.

"I am unaware of Mister Schnee's combat capabilities. I will analyze him first and begin an assault in earnest when I am more certain of his abilities." Penny continued to walk at a more natural pace ahead of him and she was beginning to put some distance between them.

"You don't really think we're capable of beating him, do you? I mean, I know this sounds bad since it was "my" idea but he's some kind of renowned swordsman. I don't like our odds." What other choice did they have though? A lot of people were going to die if he didn't hold up his end. That was a ton of pressure considering it was "his" plan they were running with. What if the survivors blamed and hated him? Before he thought about things like that, he had to make sure he was among the survivors of course.

"We do not have to defeat Mister Schnee. Our objective is to disable his scroll. I am confident in my abilities to achieve this task!" Penny flexed and Jaune felt a little of the tension leave his body. If she was this confident then maybe he should just trust in her? She was clearly incredibly strong. Maybe they actually had a chance. Still, if he didn't have to fight he wasn't going to. He would save that thought for when they confronted Shiro.

Finally, something that looked like ground came into sight. It was only until they got right up to it that Jaune realized it wasn't the floor of the canyon at all. It was hundreds of little white roots overlapping one another and forming a web that spanned across the entire visible surface. "What are these things?"

"They are the roots to the vines." Penny confirmed what he had thought just a moment ago.

"Is he still beneath these?" He didn't see a single way to proceed further down.

"He is." Penny flexed her fingers and her swords spun above them. They then burrowing into the roots, forming a small circle around the two of them.

He saw where this was going. "Penny! Please wai-" He never finished that sentence as her swords sawed the roots apart and cut a perfect circle around them open. The roots they were standing on fell away and they went with them.

Dammit, Penny! Jaune mentally screamed this as he was again clinging to her while they tumbled in the air. Fortunately for him, they didn't fall far this time before crashing onto the hard rock floor.

He groaned and stumbled to his feet, patting himself down. Thankfully his Aura was as large as it was. Still, he couldn't afford to waste it on stupid things like this. He needed every drop he could get.

"Fascinating." Penny mumbled and Jaune finally bothered to take in his surroundings. Fascinating… was right. They were now in the deepest level of the canyon and by all means it should have been pitch-black down here. This was not the case at all. Hanging from the roots that formed a ceiling above them were little bulbs that were glowing with natural yellow light.

"What are these things?" He asked in awe as he stared up at them.

His spine shivered in fear when a voice that wasn't Penny's responded. "They're filled with naturally phosphorus Dust that reacts to Aura nearby it. Just by getting close to them they light up." Shirou Schnee stood a small ways away on what looked like a small island with only a small pathway connecting it. Surrounding the island was nothing but darkness that descended too far down for Jaune to see.

"Miss Nikos!" Penny held up her scroll and utilized the walkie feature. "We have located the enemy and are about to engage him in combat. What is your status? Over."

After several moments of silence, Pyrrha's voice crackled over both their scrolls. "We're doing fine so far. The amount of Grimm reaching the canyon is manageable so far. Over." At least no one had died yet.

Penny nodded at Pyrrha's response. "Mister Wukong? Status? Over."

"Busy running! Can't talk!" His voice crackled over almost immediately. He sounded ragged and out of breath. There must have been a lot of Grimm after them. "Do we really have to say 'over'?"

"Alright! Let us do this Jaune!" Penny completely ignored Sun's question and purposefully strolled over to Shirou.

"Penny, wait!" Jaune ran around in front of her and placed a hand on her shoulder. He leaned in close to her ear so he could speak without Shirou overhearing. "Let me talk to him first. Maybe I can convince him to stop this without having to fight."

Penny tilted her head and he could swear he heard the gears inside whirl as she processed his request. "I predict that you have a less than one percent chance of being able to change his mind."

"But there is a chance." Jaune patted her shoulder and she nodded. "Then let me try."

"I would like to state that I am against this idea, but I shall give you the benefit of the doubt. That is what best friends do, after all." Penny finally relented and Jaune surprised them both by giving her a quick hug.

"Thanks. Just leave him to me." He turned back to Shirou who had yet to move from his spot and hadn't said anything since making himself known.

Jaune approached him. Every step echoed across the canyon and struck like thunder in his ears. The otherwise silence was unsettling. He didn't know what Penny used to calculate her statistic but he really couldn't afford to dwell on his abysmal odds. Besides, he had no doubt that if he tried to actually fight this guy, the chances of him dying were one hundred percent. He would rather take his chances with conversation first.

He came up to the walkway that would lead him to Shirou's island. The land they were standing on cut away for the length of the canyon and formed a steep cliff that disappeared into nothing. The walkway was barely wide enough for him to get across and he felt a sense of vertigo take over as he glared at it.

With a deep breath he started across and once he reached the halfway point, Shirou finally spoke again. "If you come any farther I will assume you are prepared for combat." Jaune stopped hard and looked away from his feet and up into Shirou's eyes. They were squinted closed as always and he couldn't read any expression in them. His voice had been cold but his mouth was curled in that same creepy grin he always had. His katana was unsheathed and held in his left hand, pointed directly downwards.

"I must admit, I knew it would be you that would come to face me." Shirou said. Jaune narrowed his eyes. Why was it this guy seemed to think he knew him so well? If he knew anything about him he would know that he had actually tried to get out of this. "You and I are pretty similar, Mister Arc. I can tell just by looking at you." That was a disconcerting thought.

"You look like you disagree." His face must have given him away again. "That's alright. You might not understand it yet, but one day you will. Well, if I don't kill you right here that is. I confess, I'm a little disappointed that I was right. You should turn around while you have the chance."

Finally, Jaune saw an opportunity to talk. "If you don't want to kill me then let's end this whole game right here. Just shut that damn Grimm whistle off and let's all fly back to Lambent. No one here has to die."

"Now why would I do that? That would defeat the whole purpose of this game." Shirou raised his right arm up and Jaune saw his scroll still attached to it like a watch.

"What is the purpose of this game then?" He had no way of convincing Shirou to back off if he didn't know what he was even testing them on.

"Are you sure you have time to just stand around and ask me all these questions? Every second you waste is another second someone up there really might die." Jaune didn't respond back and just glared at him as he waited for his answer. Shirou sighed. "You young Huntsmen-in-training don't understand anything. You all get so cocky and think you're ready to take on the world. You don't know what it's like to have your pride ripped out from your very core and watch helplessly as you lose control of the situation."

Jaune was trying not to show it but those words had cut him a little more deeply than even he wanted to admit. "Why give us options then?"

"It was just another way to simulate control. Control that you don't really have. Stay and fight? Run away? Confront me? They're all hopeless. You will all realize that as the night goes on. Those of you that survive will, anyways. When dawn comes around, your spirits will be broken. Only once that has happened can I truly begin moulding you into the strongest band of Huntsmen this world has ever seen." Ozpin had been right! This place was twisted beyond what Jaune could have possibly imagined. He felt anger boil in his stomach and his teeth grit together so hard he could hear them.

"You are already different, Jaune. That is why I am going to give you this offer." Shirou extended a hand towards him, fingers uncurled as if looking for a simple handshake. "If you come over here, I will offer you my protection. You don't have to fight and you don't have to die. Just stand here and watch."

Jaune's mouth went dry and his shoulders slacked as all the anger vanished from his body only to be replaced by confusion. "Why?" It was the only word he was capable of asking.

"Because I can tell just by looking at you. You have no pride." That… it wasn't entirely true. Jaune had some pride. He was proud of his ancestors. He was proud to carry on their family name… oh, who was he kidding? That was their pride. None of that was truly his own. His pride had been ripped from him long ago. Just like Shirou had said.

"So what do you say, Jaune?" Shirou had yet to retract his hand and Jaune stared at it uncertainly. He couldn't abandon his friends and teammates. It wasn't even an option he was willing to consider. If they were as similar as he claimed to be, why then did he assume Jaune would take it? There was without a doubt something fundamentally different about them.

"Weiss told me a little about you growing up." Jaune started talking slowly, meticulously even, as he tried to form the thoughts while his mouth was moving. "If you think I'm as similar to you as you claim, why don't you prove it?"

"Hmm... you want to know about my childhood? Why not. If you want to talk, then let's talk." Shirou's hand fell to his side and fingers drummed idly against his sheathed katana. "If little Weiss told you some things then it must have gone something like me being adopted when my brother married in?" Jaune nodded. "What if I told you that was a lie?"

"...What?"

"My niece didn't lie to you, of course. She told you what she believes is the truth. Here's the real heart of the matter, however. My true father was Nicholas Schnee. I'm only related to Weiss' father by marriage to my half-sister. I am the bastard child that could never be officially recognized as a legitimate successor. My mother was an archaeologist working for my father. She had been born and raised in Mistral, but moved to Atlas after my birth. Father sent her a small sum of money every month. Money that was supposedly enough to pay for the place and raise me by herself. We were supposed to live without a care in the world.

"He never came and checked for himself. Not once did he come to visit." Jaune figured Shirou was talking about something rather bitter but you never would have guessed it just listening to the tone of his voice. He was talking as if they were all fond memories. "It was a really bad neighborhood, you see. When I was only a toddler, a local gang somehow caught word that money was being sent to our address. They came and ousted us, ripped us from our home. We were forced out onto the streets. Mother wrote many letters to father but I only found out later that he never received a single one. He had no idea what was happening to us.

"Mother started working multiple jobs to make ends meet. It was rough for her but she always worked her hardest. Winters in Atlas are brutal and one year she fell gravely ill. I was only six years old but I set out to find work in her place regardless. You can probably imagine how hard it is for a child to find a legitimate means to earn money. By chance, I stumbled across a very specialized establishment. One where they pitted children to beat one another for betting and their own twisted amusement. The pay was decent, especially if you were unique like me. Apparently the adults there got off on watching a little half-Mistrali boy get his teeth kicked in by kids sometimes six years older.

"Summer came around and mother hadn't gotten any better. If anything it seemed like she was getting worse. I used my money to pay for medication and even managed to find a doctor that would look at her. Turns out, she had caught some kind of disease for which there was no known cure. I was too young to learn the name of it and never bothered looking it up. He gave her a year to live at best. I was seven when we received this news. I couldn't accept it. I started going to the fights more often.

"Every day I got kicked around until I couldn't move. Every day I came home to mother with broken bones and new bruises. Every morning, mother would remind me of my heritage and to take pride in my heritage. Every evening I would have that pride stomped out of my body as I fought just to make enough money to keep us both breathing.

"This continued until I was ten years old. The winter had been bad that year. Finally, the illness claimed my mother's life and I was left completely alone in the world.

"I was just wandered the streets for days after until I collapsed from the cold and the exhaustion. I didn't see the point to anything anymore. If the outcome had already been inevitable why had I worked so hard to prevent it? I simply didn't know what else to do. So I resolved myself to die there on the street, with snow piling up on top of my body.

"What a kick in the teeth it was that father's car happened to be passing down that street. They brought me to his manor and father became aware of everything. The men that ran and participated in the illegal child fights that had supported me for years were arrested. The gang that had evicted my mother and me were dismantled brutally. Father made all this happen with only a couple calls. He then promised me that he would take care of me. He wept and wept as he apologized for everything I had gone through. He told me that I would never have a want in the world. He would make sure of it.

"Do you know what I did when he told me this?" Jaune shook his head. "I laughed! I laughed and laughed for days." He spread his arms out and his grin stretched across his whole face. Jaune almost averted his eyes out of instinct. "What a feeling that was! I didn't know something like laughter could feel so great. How ironic the whole thing was. I got beat every day to try and create a better life for myself and my mother when if I simply would have just let her die from the beginning, father would have come running to pull me out of that Hell. I would've killed her myself if I had realized that."

He would've… kill his own mother? Jaune's stomach churned at the thought. There was no way. That was just so wrong. Shirou said something so twisted and unnatural with that same bright smile as always. The whole time he had been telling the story, he had been looking up at one of the luminescent bulbs. It would appear he was done now as he looked back at them.

"Not long after, my sister married and Father fabricated the story that I was related to her betrothed by blood, giving him a 'legitimized' reason to adopt me. And so there you are. Does that answer all your burning questions about me?" Shirou once again extended his hand towards Jaune. "If it does, I would like your answer."

Jaune stood in silence for a few moments as he took in everything Shirou had just told him. Finally, he couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. "Oh man, that's a load off my mind." Shirou raised an eyebrow at him and Jaune grinned back in response. "I was really afraid that after I heard what you had to say, I would realize that we really are alike. Now, I can tell you beyond a shadow of doubt though that you and I are nothing alike. There's no way in Hell I'm the same as a bastard who was glad his mother died."

Shirou's hand lowered back down to his side and his usual smile twisted into a confused frown. Only for that grin to return and be even more creepy than before. "Okay then, I have another offer for you. This one may be more to your liking." He paused, likely just for dramatic effect alone. "Come over here and allow me to kill you. Just stand still and I'll stab you in the heart. If you do that, I'll end this whole game right now. Everyone else gets to go back to Lambent for a good night's rest."

Was he... being serious? Jaune could never really tell with this guy. If he really meant that offer than wasn't that something he should definitely take? He just got done saying he didn't want to fight if he didn't have to. His resolve would look really half-assed if he backed away now.

At the same time, just handing his life over wasn't exactly how he had planned to go either. He had always pictured it as some heroic last stand while his teammates fled for their lives. It would be a spur of the moment decision, one he made as he realized there was no way for them all to escape unless someone sacrificed himself. He would hesitantly step forward for that role. The others would cry and thank him as they fled. It all sounded really poetic in his head.

It was kind of the opposite of what Shirou suggested. He was just supposed to stand there and let himself get stabbed? That sounded… really lame. Did the way it happened really matter? If the outcome was half or more of his teammates being spared than it went without saying that he should do this. Although, he had also pictured himself being much older when this happened. He wanted to marry a beautiful woman, have children, teach them what it meant to be an Arc. If he gave himself up here, he would never be able to experience any of that.

If he didn't give himself up here... as many as seven others might never get to experience any of that happiness either. How could he possibly weigh his life against seven others? Their lives undoubtedly held way more value than his own. Even if he looked at them individually they would all contribute far more to society as Huntsmen than a sham like he would.

He had to do this. Yet at the same time he was too scared of death to do it.

"Tick tock tick tock, Mister Arc. What is your answer?" Shirou's voice was taunting and full of mirth, like he already knew there was no way Jaune could ever willingly make that decision.

"No way!" Penny grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled backwards, harshly reminding him that he wasn't alone here.

"Penny." Jaune took a big breath and tried to keep his voice as steady as possible. He had to appear strong. He couldn't let her know how terrified he was. There was no way he was just going to hand over his life like that, but he didn't want her to think that decision was born out of fear. It had to be a decision he proclaimed with confidence.

"I will not accept it!" Penny appeared to mistake his intent, somehow thinking he was actually considering handing himself over. "No one up there would agree with this plan. You are the one inspiring everyone right now. If you die, they will lose hope." She was surely exaggerating, but that was aside the point. He had to tell her she got it wrong.

"An interesting proposition. Want to test it?" Shirou didn't give him the chance, as if he had been waiting for that very response. Without elaborating any further, the headmaster lifted his scroll. "Attention all leaders. Mister Arc and myself have come to terms to end this game." Wait, that was not true. Jaune hadn't agreed to anything!

"All he has to do is allow me to kill him. If he does, you all get to go back to bed. I just figured I would get a consensus from the rest of you. If even one person agrees, then this whole thing can end right now. If not, the game will continue at your own peril. So what do you say?" That was it!? Only one person had to say they wanted him dead and they could all leave? Those were pretty low parameters dammit!

His scroll crackled to life as someone turned on their mic. Here it came, almost immediately. Someone was about to choose him to die. Someone must have realized now how hopeless their situation was and now the moment was upon him.

Fear gripped his heart and caused his breath to hitch. How was he supposed to tell them that he was not prepared for this? They were thinking they could get out of this if they sacrificed him. Would they revolt against him and drag him up to be stabbed? Suddenly, Shirou's first option didn't sound like such a bad offer now that he considered the people he was bargaining for were going to betray him.

"Are you fucking retarded?!" Sun's voice screamed into the scroll so loud it caused Jaune to jump. "There's no way in Hell anyone is going to say that they want Jaune to die for us! We're training to become Huntsmen dammit! We would all rather die fighting than allow someone to sacrifice himself for us!"

"Sun is right!" Pyrrha's voice crackled in immediately after. "Don't even think about handing yourself over to him, Jaune! We all need you!"

"Just kick his ass, Jaune!" Brawnz yelled.

"Don't give yourself up for us, man! We can hold out until you win!" Flynt was next.

"We believe in you, Jaune!" Then Nebula.

"You're the leader of team Auburn. Just like I am. Don't sully the name of that team by getting killed like that." Finally it was Arslan.

He couldn't believe it. They all truly believed he had a chance? His hands clenched. He was such an idiot, thinking they were going to sell him out to die. They were all Hunters-in-training too, just like Sun said. Everyone here wanted a resolution where none of them died. That was what they were aiming for.

Shirou started to chuckle and Jaune lifted his gaze to look back up at him. "You have a lot to learn about people with Pride. They don't realize how hopeless their situation is yet like you do. Once the bodies start to drop, they'll change their tune. Though, my offer will no longer be on the table when that happens."

Letting out a long sigh, the blond pulled out his sword and expanded his shield. If it came to this he had no choice but to fight. They were all depending on him. He had no right not to give anything less than his all now. "Sorry Penny. I really thought this was the best way."

"It is okay, Jaune!" Penny patted him on the back. "This is why we have friends. To help keep us on the right track." Yeah, he supposed she was right. He was really lucky to have so many people that he could call friends now.

"It would appear the time for chatting is done." Shirou raised his katana and pointed it directly at Jaune and Penny. "If you are prepared to die, than come."

They did just that. Although he had never been prepared to die.

* * *

 **Chapter End**

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 **AN:** The majority of Shirou's back-story was inspired by the two chapters in the Berserk manga that covered Serpico's past. I know many people compare Shirou to Archer from Fate/Stay night and I think his appearance and name mostly have something to do with that. To be honest, when I created Shirou I was actually mixing parts of Kotomine Kirei (also from Fate) and again, Serpico.

Next time, things begin to look dire as Jaune and Penny try to find a way around the gap in skill between themselves and Shirou.


	8. Synthetic Life

Coeur Al'Aran was the beta for the original Auburn and helped me immensely during a period when we were both just getting started. Cover Art drawn by confections101 and a link to it is on my profile page. Jefardi is the one who finally kicked my butt into gear to do something about this story I had almost given up on.

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 **Auburn**

 _Synthetic Life_

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Jaune closed the gap between himself and Shirou Schnee.

No one had any idea just how strong this guy really was but if they were going to have any chance at all, he was going to have to put every effort he could into creating an opening as quickly as possible.

He reached him and swung his sword in a strong a horizontal slash. Shirou merely held his sword vertically and blocked. A loud clang echoed throughout the canyon. Jaune's arm seized from the sudden stop. Shirou's sword didn't even teeter.

The headmaster pushed back, deflecting his sword to the side and staggering him. As he stumbled to recover the gleam of the katana swinging at him caught his eye. On pure instinct, he held his shield up. Sparks flew as both sword and shield were knocked backwards from the force of the clash.

Shirou's eyebrows raised, showing something maybe akin to shock at the sturdiness of the shield. Which the blond didn't hesitate to use as an opening. He jumped forward and stabbed at his opponent's gut. There should have been no way for him to block, the katana still positioned well above his head and out of range to intercept the strike.

Not that he had to block. Shirou merely twisted to the side and brought his sword down. Once again the shield came up and deflected the attack. There was another burst of sparks and an echoing clang. Jaune pivot and swung horizontally again. Shirou repositioned and met him mid-swing.

Their swords clashed and deflected one another. Only a second later they both swung again. Jaune locked his feet in the ground and gave a determined growl. He thrust forward yet again. Shirou blocked this strike with the broad end of his katana. Movement stopped temporarily as each one tried to overpower the other.

Jaune took just a brief opportunity to study his opponent. The older man was still grinning. It didn't even look like he was trying. This frustrated him to no end. Sure, he knew he was way outclassed here but he would have liked to make him at least look like he was taking this seriously. Lives were on the line with this fight.

He pushed his sword to the left and both their weapons slid away from one another and to their respective sides. Jaune stepped in and swung his shield in an attempt to batter through Shirou's defense.

At the very least he wanted to make him give some ground. Neither one of them had taken a single step backwards since this exchange had begun.

Shirou held up his right hand. Just before the shield crashed into it, his palm glowed bright blue as his Aura began shielding him. With a dull thud, Jaune's shield met Shirou's Aura. Then their swords met and held in place as each man tried to overpower the other. The headmaster clearly had far more upper-body strength and began pushing both Jaune's shield and sword backwards.

The blond grit his teeth and dug his feet even more deeply into the ground. He wasn't going to give this guy any ground! He had to stand fast. Instead, he bent himself backwards as Shirou continued to push down on him. The older man stood almost directly over him, having forced Jaune to bend back so far he was about doubled over. Sweat rolled off his forehead and into his eyes as he struggled to maintain his position but he couldn't even wipe them like this. Instead he fought to glare at Shirou through the sting of his own sweat and continued to push as hard as he could.

Something whizzed through the air. Shirou leapt back and Jaune stumbled at the unexpected shift in weight. Penny's sword flew right past his face and stabbed into the ground a couple feet away. He sent her a quick glare to see her standing with hands flexed in front of and a deep frown on her face.

Seriously, what had taken her so long? He had been in a real bind there for a second.

Her swords pulled themselves out from the ground and flew back to her side. She turned back to Shirou and Jaune did the same.

The older man now stood on the edge of the pillar they were fighting on. If he took one more step back he would fall into the darkness below. For half-a-second Jaune just considered charging into him and knocking them both off the side of the cliff. He had to stop and tell himself that was a stupid idea. It wouldn't surprise him one bit if Shirou wanted him to do that. No, he would keep the same strategy as before.

He had held his ground fairly well during that first exchange and now he and Penny both had a more rough idea of what he was capable of. As long as Jaune didn't get overpowered again they might be able to win with this strategy. At least that was what he hoped.

Raising his shield and sword, he prepared to charge again. Shirou's thumb twisted his hilt-guard. He had six colors on the edge of his hilt: light blue, dark blue, red, green, yellow, and white. It stopped it on the red canister and his blade began glowing as it was filled with Dust inside.

Jaune didn't know anything about Shirou's Semblance or if his sword was much different from Weiss'. He had heard from her in one of her famous rants that all Schnee's had the same Semblance but so far Shirou had made no effort to use his. Then again, he hadn't used Dust until just now either. So Jaune had to be careful either way. Shirou was in for a surprise if he thought a little Dust was going to let him get through his shield. It had withstood the blast of a Chimera so a little fire-based Dust was nothing compared to that.

With this thought in mind, Jaune charged. Shirou placed both hands on the hilt of his sword and brought it high over his head. He placed one foot in front of the other and his body tensed. Jaune brought his shield to the front. He would block this strike and make his move when Shirou's sword was deflected. That was the plan.

The katana swung down and the shield did intercept it, just as planned. What he hadn't counted on was for the explosion that followed immediately after. Jaune was enveloped in flames. His ears rang, the roar of the blast washing over him and he was sent flying. With a painful crash, he hit the ground about a yard away.

Yeah- he had not expected that. The katana had reacted more like Cardin's mace rather than Weiss' sword. It was just lucky he hadn't tried to meet it with his own. He'd have been barbecued.

With a groan, he lifted himself off his back and into a sitting position. His Aura had mostly protected what his shield hadn't but if he took another couple hits like that he would be done for. His vision focused back in and the ringing subsided just as Shirou broke free from the smoke that had been left by the explosion. The katana was already coming down.

Oh shit! Reacting on instinct, he rolled to the side. The katana struck where he had just been. It exploded on contact and the blast once again sent Jaune flying through the air. He hit the ground and bounced once before skidding to the edge of the cliff. Had there been just a little more force behind that he would've been knocked clean off.

Quickly he tried to scramble to his feet before Shirou could charge him again. He really would be knocked off this time if he hung out this close to the edge. It took him several moments, his balance still off after being tossed around. By the time he had stable footing, Shirou was predictably after him.

Two of Penny's swords flew through the air and right towards him, forcing him to stop mid-charge and dodge out of the way. Her swords stopped short and spun several times before locking in and whizzing forward.

Shirou swung his katana and it clashed with Penny's first sword. An explosion destroyed her blade and sent it scattering in numerous broken pieces. Only a second later and he did the same to the other. His face and stance then shifted towards Penny and Jaune saw her take a small step back.

What he was supposed to do against a sword that exploded just by grazing you he didn't know, but he couldn't allow Penny to become Shirou's focus either. Their current strategy was dependent on her ranged abilities and that fell apart if the headmaster targeted her. That meant - as much as he hated it - keeping all the attention focused on himself. He slipped the shield off his arm to grip it by the edge and with a heavy grunt chucked it.

Shirou's head whipped around and on what was probably instinct, his katana came up to deflect the shield. It caught it just under the bottom and it was launched skywards as the explosion created a cone shape from the direction of the katana's swing.

In the moment, Jaune understood how Shirou hadn't been getting caught in his own blasts. It was downright bizarre and up close, Jaune hadn't realized the oddity but away from it, he could see what was happening. Now to test his luck and actually apply what he's just learned.

He closed the remaining distance between them. Gripping his sword with both hands, he swung with an upwards diagonal slash. Shirou blocked and just as Jaune predicted the explosion fired off to his right and away from him. Sure, it was still pretty hot and the ringing in his ears returned from being too close, but he was unharmed otherwise. Their swords disconnected and Jaune took a step back.

The older man lunged forward and swung down. The blond stepped to the side.

He was proud to admit he wasn't stupid enough to block if Shirou was the one swinging. As long as he only connected with the katana while he was the one pressing the attack, he could somewhat control the direction of the explosions. He lost that advantage if he only did things like block.

The katana stopped mid-swing and switched from a vertical slash to a horizontal one without warning. Jaune sucked in his gut and leapt backwards as he barely dodged the unexpected shift in attack by an inch. That had been too close!

He jumped back forward and swung again. Just then the headmaster switched the dial on his hilt guard. It landed on the green. Before Jaune could stop, their swords clashed. He flinched, eyes squeezing shut as he waited for whatever adverse effect that was coming.

Nothing happened. They both pulled their swords back and readied for another clash, but Jaune wasn't any worse off than before.

He hesitated for half-a-second before re-engaging. Sparks flew but still it didn't seem like anything happened. In fact, Crocea Mors slightly overpowered Shirou and he pressed the attack in an effort to keep the momentum going. Their swords connected three more times before Jaune finally realized what was going on.

Crocea Mors was starting to feel heavy in hand. At first he had just assumed it was battle fatigue but that didn't wouldn't explain this drastically increasing difference. The green Dust was making his sword heavier with every strike. It was the only thing that made sense.

It was now unbearably hard to hold due to the incredible increase in weight. Every muscle in his arms screamed as he tried to keep it hefted in the air. He couldn't drop and abandon it now. His shield was still a distance away and if he became completely disarmed, it would only be a matter of moments before Shirou made mincemeat of him.

Or would he? This idea was beyond nuts but he needed to do something quick.

The katana swung horizontally. Jaune dropped Crocea Mors just as it passed under. His sword fell on top of the other and the increased weight sunk both of them to the ground with a loud thunk that splintered the rock surface.

Shirou stumbled forward from the unexpected shift and let out a grunt. Jaune jumped on him. Not even his opponent could have expected that and he suddenly went ramrod, straight, abandoning his own weapon.

Jaune swung himself around so he was on Shirou's back. With his legs wrapped around the older man's waist and arm reached under his armpits, Shirou couldn't possibly strike at him now. At least not hard enough that it would actually hurt. With his free hand, he grabbed some of Shirou's slicked back white hair and pulled and mouth opened wide to bite down into his right shoulder. He wasn't exactly proud of this tactic but at this point he was willing to do whatever worked. To his great pleasure, Shirou let out a yelp as he tried and failed to debunk his unexpected passenger.

The headmaster began thrashing a little more violently and Jaune doubted he was going to be able to hold on much longer. It was about time for Penny to do something here. The shaking stopped as several green flashes blinked to life in front of them. Penny's eight remaining swords had broken into pairs and were spinning rapidly in a circle. Four little green orbs had formed between them. Jaune knew what came next.

The orbs shone even brighter before firing off concentrated beams of Dust. Every single one of them was aimed directly at them. Shirou dropped backwards in an effort to dodge and landed on his back - rather, he landed on Jaune's back.

He groaned from the unexpected move and Shirou managed to elbow him in the ribs. The wind flew from his lungs and he no longer had the strength to hold on. The older man rolled off of him and leapt to his feet, snagging the katana to bring it up with him. He poised with the blade pointed directly above and in between Jaune's eyes. The blond could still do nothing as his lungs struggled for air, arms and legs seized from the pain of the last couple blows.

Shirou was really about to kill him and he couldn't so much as move.

Penny's orbs flashed brightly once again. Shirou had no choice but to retreat from Jaune's prone form as he dodged and weaved around the deadly green matter. He turned his attention once more to Penny. She fired off another round but he was far too quick for her to effectively land anything even close to him. Instead her beams connected to the canyon walls around them and caused miniature explosions that melted holes into the hardened rock.

If they could just get one of those to connect with Shirou's scroll the game was as good as theirs.

Jaune's eyes went to his shield not even a full foot away. He rolled to his stomach and struggled to his knees. Scrambling for it, he hefted it up. Hopefully Penny's Dust beams reacted similar to that Chimera's attack. Only one way to find out.

"Penny! Aim here!" Jaune ducked behind his shield and angled it as best as he could guess for his plan to work. One of the pair of swords turned away from Shirou and pointed directly at him. It fired and when it struck his shield it ricocheted right off.

The Headmaster stopped hard as the beam came at him from the unexpected angle and he ducked just in time. It flew over his head and collided into another beam that was just passing by. They sparked with energy and fizzled, both beams feeding into another and growing brighter. Jaune shielded his eyes just as they erupted in a blinding flash that enveloped Shirou completely.

Several seconds went by as the explosion gave way to dense smoke that he couldn't see through. Shirou didn't come bursting out of it and he couldn't hear him no matter how hard he listened.

Did that... do it?

It was crazy to think anyone would be standing after having been subjected to an explosion that powerful and so close but Shirou was without a doubt someone far beyond ordinary.

"Jaune!" Penny jogged up to his side with her swords trailing just behind.

"I'm fine." He struggled to his feet and ambled over to the fallen sword. He picked it up gingerly at first and was relieved to find it was back to its original weight. He didn't know any of the properties behind Shirou's katana but apparently the heavy-effect wasn't for very long. With a metal clink, he slid it back into his shield.

"An excellent plan, Jaune. Mister Schnee should be stunned from the blast. I surmise that we can deactivate the whistle ourselves now if the explosion did not do it." Penny patted some of the dirt off his shoulder and he smiled gratefully. The two of them had actually made a really solid pair. He hoped to work with her more in the future too.

"You think I'm finished, do you?" Shirou's voice called out from the smoke full of mirth. He and Penny both whirled just as the smoke started to clear. He stood completely unharmed with a solid wall of ice right next to him. His katana had a light-blue glow as it was without a doubt filled with ice Dust from one of his other canisters. "I must admit, Mister Arc, you are an incredibly interesting combatant. You realize how outclassed you are so you resort to all kinds of petty tactics."

Jaune took a step back in fear as Shirou's eyes finally opened wide enough for him to see into his bright-blue irises. Despite his smug grin and amused tone his eyes shone with unbridled hatred. Hatred that wasn't directed at anyone in particular but rather at the whole world around him. It was so terrifying and cold to look at that Weiss' own glares could only be called a summer breeze by comparison.

"It reminds me a lot of what I used to have to do back when I was forced to fight children sometimes six years older than me and nearly twice as heavy. I would resort to every nasty trick in the book. Ever since I entered the world of Huntsmen, that type of fighting disappeared from my life. It's a little refreshing to come across it once again. Thank you for that." His sword made a clicking noise as he switched it to the yellow canister. His sword began humming as electric Dust filled it now. "If you've got the tenacity to fight like that than I've clearly been taking you too lightly, Mister Arc."

Jaune chuckled, although he didn't know why. Nervous habit, probably. "Is that so? I think you've been plenty hard on us really. No need to up the intensity." His voice cracked towards the end. Man, that sounded really lame but the look in Shirou's eyes right now terrified him to the core.

"Jaune, get behind me!" Penny placed herself between the two. All eight swords spun in a circle in front of her as she charged up a massive Dust beam.

Shirou didn't look afraid at all. That attack had made mincemeat of a full grown Deathstalker and yet the older man simply smirked while staring down the barrel end of a freaking cannon. Smirked and also raised the katana above his head. The dial had switched to the yellow canister and it began to hum even louder than Penny's charging beam.

"Penny!" Jaune had a really bad feeling about this. "I think you should hold off on that attack!"

"I will not lose, Jaune!" She completely ignored his warning and swung her arms forward. Her swords increased their rotational speed and the sound echoed across the canyon. The glowing green orb that had been forming in the middle grew tremendously in size and then fired. The beam traveled at Shirou with incredible speed but he made no move to dodge out of the way.

Instead he swung his sword down and a giant yellow wave crackling with electricity flew from the tip. That wave collided with Penny's beam, each one attempting to gain dominance over the other.

There was no contest.

Shirou's lightning slash won out as the giant yellow Dust blade began splitting her beam apart. Bolts of lightning stretched around the sides and shot to the source, forcing the rest of her beam to exploded violently as they traveled along. They reached her swords and bounced off, the lightning dancing after Penny herself.

"Penny!" She began convulsing and he jumped to help her, not even considering the consequences. A spark leapt off and struck his outstretched hand, singeing and sending him flying. He fell to his butt where he was helpless to do anything but watch as his friend was electrocuted.

Her swords made loud beeps as the electricity overloaded them. Simultaneously all eight exploded. The force of the blast sent Penny flying. By some miracle she landed on the small pathway connecting the pillar to the rest of the canyon floor, just barely skirting tumbling over to the edge on either side. Her body still seized now and again, last spurts of electricity leaving her body.

"Penny!" Jaune bolted to her as quickly as his body would allow. He jumped clear over her and landed on the other side. His arms reached down to grab her under the armpits. They were searing hot and burned Jaune's hands straight through his gloves. Letting out a hiss of surprise, he dropped her.

Not even a second later and Shirou was upon him, katana thrusting forward. Jaune raised his right arm to defend but only then remembered he had yet to unsheath Crocea Mors again. With nothing to block the strike, the katana dug into his forearm and protruded out the other end. The scream that left Jaune's mouth didn't even sound human, let alone like his own voice. On pure reactive instinct, he yanked his arm back and freed it from the steel blade.

This time, he ignored the burning sensation that immediately seared his hands as he dragged Penny across the walkway and hopefully to safety. Shirou hadn't attacked them until they had crossed over to his pillar. It was probably safe to assume that if they left he wouldn't pursue them either. He may have been a twisted person but Jaune was willing to bet he was going to play by the rules of his own game.

Once they were securely on the other side and away from the cliff he dropped to his knees just behind Penny's head. Her chest wasn't rising and falling and he couldn't hear the sound of her breathing. "Penny, hey! Come on, Penny." Ignoring the pain in his forearm and hands, he slapped her cheek but got no response. "No, no no, no. Penny!" He had to choke back tears as he scrambled around to her chest and put an ear against it. There was no heartbeat.

Why? Why did this have to happen to her? What had she ever done to deserve this? She may have been a little odd but she was incredibly kind. She had been so ecstatic when he had called her friend and had pranced around in joy when they met up again. So why?

"Penny. I'm so sorry." He grabbed her hand and held it up to his face as a couple tears rolled down either cheeks. There was so much more he should've done. This wasn't supposed to be how things went. She was far stronger than he was and yet he was the one still alive. How did that even make sense?

He couldn't accept that. He wouldn't accept that! His gaze turned angry and he glared at the one who was truly to blame for this. As he had predicted, Shirou Schnee hadn't left his island and now stood in the very center of it, just watching them. His narrowed blue eyes still shined with hatred but Jaune could almost see another expression in them now.

Was it… pity?

The very thought that this man might be feeling that set Jaune's veins ablaze and he had to fight the urge to go charging at him right this second. There was only a small sliver of logic and fear in the back of his mind holding him back. He wouldn't accomplish anything by doing that and Penny's death would have been for nothing if he just went and died immediately after her.

What was he supposed to do now? He couldn't fight Shirou by himself but it hurt too much to think he had to go back to the others, dragging Penny's dead body with him. That was just something he couldn't bring himself to do.

Several beeps and then a whirring noise as if a computer was booting up brought his attention back to unmoving girl. Her green eyes then shot open and he about leapt to his feet.

Penny was… Penny was alive!

How? Her heart had stopped! He dropped back down and placed an ear up against her chest again but still heard no heartbeat. Instead he heard the sounds of computer chips, fans, and gears coming from inside. "Penny?" He pulled his head back and looked her in the eyes.

"Jaune?" Her voice cracked and sounded to be full of static. "Where am I? Why are you crying?"

"I-I thought that you…" He didn't know how to answer that. Penny was alive! At least, he thought she was. She still didn't have a heartbeat. The girl attempted to prop herself up by the elbows but one of them immediately gave out on her and she collapsed back to the ground. "Penny!" He bent over her elbow to inspect it for injuries but instead saw something he never expected. Her elbow was ripped wide open but instead of blood and bones there were bolts and wires.

Suddenly, it all made sense to him. Penny's personality, her lack of a heartbeat, this elbow. Penny… she wasn't human.

"I am sorry, Jaune." Penny sounded hurt, defeated even, and he realized he was just staring at her without saying anything.

He shook his head. Now wasn't the time to be surprised by something stupid like this. "Hey, don't worry about it. I'm just glad you're alive. I was so worried you had died."

"Y-You were?" She asked, sounding unsure and full of distrust.

"Of course I was. You're my friend."

"You mean that?" Penny's other arm suddenly reached forward and grabbed him by the scruff of his hoodie. "You really mean that, right?"

He nodded. "Of course I do, Penny."

"Even though you know I'm not a human? Even though I'm just a synthetic android capable of producing an Aura?" She sounded desperate to hear his next words. To know she hadn't lost a friend.

"I don't know what any of that is supposed to mean. To me you're just Penny. And Penny is probably one of my best friends." He patted the hand that was pulling on his hoodie reassuringly. If robots were capable of crying he had no doubt Penny would have burst into tears of joy at those words. That was the kind of expression she had.

"Thank you, Jaune. Thank you. I was too afraid to let anyone at this school know even though Uncle Ironwood said it was alright. He said I was not here to make friends as a person but become the ultimate Grimm killing machine. But I still wanted everyone to treat me as a normal girl." She clung to him more tightly and he wrapped his arm around her.

"Come on. It's alright. Let's get you up." He whispered softly and helped her stand. "Do you still want to keep it a secret from everyone else?" She tilted her head at him questioningly and he gestured to her elbow which still had wires sticking out of it. "You don't want anyone else to know, right?"

She hesitated before nodding. "I do not think I am ready for more people to know the truth just yet."

"That's alright, Penny. We all have our secrets." He had more than most.

He detached the plate armor around and his hoodie and unhooked the pauldrons on his shoulders. "What are you doing?" Penny asked as he finally started taking his hoodie off, revealing an orange t-shirt underneath.

"You can use this as a sling." He explained as he took her busted arm and began to cover the exposed wires with his favorite article of clothing. He used the sleeves to tie it around her opposite shoulder. "We'll just tell everyone you broke your arm. Just make sure no one tries to inspect it."

"Jaune." Penny wrapped him in a one-armed hug and the very way she said his name conveyed her gratitude.

"Don't mention it, friend." He patted her back awkwardly but otherwise didn't move as he just enjoyed the moment.

Unfortunately for both of them the moment didn't last long as the sound of insistent giggling broke out and echoed horrendously across the canyon wall. Jaune whirled on Shirou but his mouth was firmly locked in its typical grin. It wasn't coming from him.

"What you hear right now are a coyote-based Grimm called Cacklers." The headmaster began to fill him in. "They're among my favorite Grimm species as they have the most amusing habit of laughing hysterically while they hunt down their human prey." He called it amusing, Jaune called it terrifying. He had never heard a more terrible sound in his entire life. "It would sound like like they made it past your friends and are almost down here. I do wonder how you'll manage to get out of this predicament, Mister Arc?"

"Damn!" Jaune clicked his teeth. He couldn't tell how many were coming after them with their cackling echoing all over the place. He looked expectantly at Penny but she shook her head.

"My weapons were all destroyed and I think some of my circuits fried. I am not capable of combat in my present state." Well, so much for that. They were in a real bind with their strongest combatant down. Not to mention he didn't know what was going on with everyone else. He had to make sure they were safe. It was possible these things had just snuck by but on the off-chance they had already killed someone he needed to know.

He pulled out his scroll and flipped the walkie function on. "Pyrrha!"

Nothing. Not a single person responded. He thought about trying again but didn't have time for that, needing to be ready for combat. That just meant fighting through a pack of Cacklers while protecting an injured Penny. No pressure there.

Not to mention his arm was still injured, which he was painfully reminded of when he went to draw Crocea Mors. The wound had sealed thanks to his Aura but he had a nasty scar on either end of his right arm now. Hopefully these Grimm just sounded really scary and were actually really weak.

He had never been more wrong in his whole life. The first Cackler fell through the hole they had created to get down and it was one of the most horrifying creatures he had ever laid eyes on. When it stood up and reached its full height it was easily another half-of-him over his own head.

Emaciated was the only way to describe its body. Its lanky legs and arms looked as brittle as twigs and it was all held together by a torso with ribs that were practically protruding from its jet-black fur that was littered with gray dots. A dog-like face was tilted sideways as it smiled… yes, smiled. Its razor-sharp teeth were completely barred as it gave him a hungry grin while drooling all over itself. Red eyes studied every little movement he made. Finally, and most terrifying, were the claws that hung off its grotesque paws. Five feet long white spikes hung off of its ten fingers. Just one of those would make a shish kabob out of him.

Slowly but surely it crept towards him as it used only its hind legs to walk, dragging those long claws across the ground as it did. Jaune took half a step back as once again it began laughing maniacally. He bumped into Penny and she grabbed the back of his t-shirt with her only usable hand. Even as a synthetic-human he could feel the palpable fear in her touch. She was powerless right now. The only thing she had that she could depend on was him. He couldn't let her down.

He resolved himself to be brave. He had to be brave for her sake. "Penny. Just leave this to me. I'll take care of these things and then Pyrrha will come and get us out of here." His voice wavered despite his best efforts and he gave her a smile that he knew was half-assed. Still, Penny looked a little more relaxed at his words and that would have to do for now.

"What about your armor?" She asked and he cursed internally. He hadn't re-equipped any of it after giving Penny his hoodie. Nothing to do about it now as he had an opponent waiting on him.

"I'm way quicker without all that stuff anyways." That might have been half-true at best. His armor actually wasn't all that heavy to begin with despite being able to take a hit.

He turned back towards the Cackler and its annoyingly horrifying laughter and raised his shield and sword up. "Be careful, Jaune." Penny's words barely reach him as he charged. She didn't need to tell him twice. Those claws could rip him into pieces if he made even the slightest misstep.

Just when he closed about half the original distance between them it suddenly quit giggling and sprinted. It moved at speeds more than double what he was capable of. "Oh shit!" Jaune doubled over backwards just as a set of claws flew over where his head and torso had been. He stumbled a couple steps away and brought his shield up.

The Cackler closed its hand and pinched the claws together, forming one thick spear that it stabbed at him with. It clashed against his shield and his whole arm went numb from the shock of the blow. He heard the ground splinter apart behind him just from the shockwave of the strike alone.

It began giggling again and opened its mouth unfathomably wide. The maw reached forward to take a bite out of his face. Jaune wanted to run in fear. It took every fibre in his being not to flee and instead grip his sword a little more tightly. He thrust forward and right into the open maw of the Grimm before him. Crocea Mors ripped its throat apart from the inside.

The laughing stopped and was replaced by gurgling as it choked on his blade. He pulled his sword out and it tumbled forward. Just like that it was over. It may have been a brief fight but it was possibly the most terrifying Grimm he had ever, and would ever face. There was just something inexplicably horrific about it.

"Jaune!" Penny shouted and he whirled to see three more of them had cut their way through the roots behind him and were now converging on her.

"Hold on, Penny!" He sprinted for her. This was not going as he had hoped. One of them had been scary enough. Three of them at the same time was almost asking for the impossible. Just as he thought this another two fell down directly behind their fellow Grimm. Oh great. Now it was five of them. "Run! Get away from them!" Penny was only backing away slowly until he shouted these words. After hearing them, she turned and dash towards the cliff and Shirou's pillar.

Two of them immediately gave chase and with their speed they closed the distance almost instantly. "Damn it!" He ran up on the remaining three. For whatever reason they hadn't noticed him yet and were glaring at Shirou Schnee while giggling atrociously.

He would teach them for turning their back on him. The first one never saw him coming and he stabbed it in the middle of its back. It ceased laughing and the other two finally spun around to glare at him. He pulled his sword out and the Cackler collapsed to the ground dead. One down. He spared Penny a quick glance to see her barely dodge the claws of one of them as they continued to chase her.

Crocea Mors was still wet with blood from the one he had killed and the two in front of him charged. He swung his sword and the blood went splashing right into their eyes. They both howled and floundered blindly. It was exactly long enough for Jaune to step forward and decapitate them both with one additional swing.

He ran past them before their heads even hit the ground and beelined it for Penny. She was being pushed into a corner between the two Grimm, the cliff, and the canyon wall. If he didn't make it in the next couple seconds Penny really would die.

Real girl or not he doubted she could survive being sliced into ribbons and he wasn't about to lose her. Not again. The feelings that had brought forth when he thought she was dead once were the worst he had ever felt in his whole life. Far worse than the crushing fear that overcame him whenever he faced the Grimm. That was why he was able to push through it right now and fight these things without fleeing.

Penny ran straight for the wall and began to run up it for five or six good steps. Once she slowed to a stop she kicked off it to flip around and behind both Cacklers. They lost sight of her and paused long enough for her to punch the first one in the back. The force of her blow was so strong it smashed the Grimm into the wall. The rock cracked and broke from the force of the blow but no pieces fell.

The other Cackler turned to her and raised its claws above its head while Penny's fist was still drilling into the first one. "No you don't!" Jaune put on a final burst of speed and ran smack into the Grimm with his shield. He knocked it back and right off the cliff behind it. It let out a loud howl as it disappeared into the darkness below. Without a doubt it would die when it hit the ground down there. Nothing could survive that drop if he had to guess.

"Jaune!" He turned around just in time for Penny to crash into him with a powerful hug. He stumbled and came a step away from falling off the cliff himself.

"Hey, Penny! Watch it!" Despite his words he was laughing. He awkwardly returned the hug as best he could while still wielding Crocea Mors.

"I was so scared. I have never experienced that emotion before." She spoke into his t-shirt and he patted the top of her head, avoiding her pink bow.

"It's alright. I experience fear all the time. The important thing now is that we're both safe." He paused before thinking about it. "For the moment." Once they made it back up top they were going to be heading right into the thick of it again.

"Jaune! Penny! Look out!" Pyrrha's unexpected voice caused energy to jolt through him. The danger became clear as he realized the Cackler Penny punched had now recovered. And it was none too happy. It raised its claws up and pinched them together to form a spear.

Without thinking, he knocked Penny to the side just as the Grimm stabbed forward. Now nothing was between him and the Grimm's claws. He tried to raise his shield or his sword. Neither was quick enough. The muscles in his human body were simply too slow to react.

That spear went right through his gut.

And there wasn't a damn thing he was able to do to stop it. A sick squelching sound reached his ears as his own body was ripped through like it was made of paper.

"Jaune!" Penny and Pyrrha's voices overlapped. They were no more able to save him then he was. There was nothing they could do but watch now.

He felt his legs threaten to give out from under him and just barely managed to maintain his balance. It was only thanks to the claws that still ran straight through his body that he didn't. Blood rushed up his throat and his cheeks puffed out as he fought for a second to keep it inside. He failed and gave a ragged cough, the blood bursting past his lips and onto the ground, adding to the puddle that was already pooling at his feet.

Well... this certainly sucked. The Cackler in front of him began laughing hysterically. It twisted the claws around in his gut and caused his insides to ignite in pain. It felt like someone had just set his organs on fire and he had to fight the urge to cry out. Instead he twisted his mouth in a grimace and glared as fiercely as he could at the Grimm. Its evil red eyes stared right back and he felt his heart freeze.

He was... really going to die.

This wasn't like the other times. It wasn't like when he had lured the Chimera off for the others to escape. Or when Cardin's mace blew him up. It wasn't even like when he had ran in front of that Deathstalker's stinger to save Blake. All the other times he had gotten lucky. His luck had officially run out. He had a freaking hole in his gut! Sun wasn't going to yell at him to rally the others to tell him to live. Blake wasn't going to come running to pull him away. His shield hadn't been quick enough to deflect the strike. The damage had already been dealt and now he was going to die.

He... didn't want to die.

He really, really didn't want to die dammit!

Maybe he could still make it out of this? There had to be a way for him to survive. His Aura was supposedly incredibly large, right? Maybe it would heal him through this? He just had to kill the Cackler in front of him and rip its claws out of his stomach first. He didn't exactly have the strength to do that. The fear had caused his arms to lock up and his shield and sword felt like dead weight in his hands.

He looked to them, as if to will himself to lift them. Only to then realize he wasn't even holding them at all. At one point he must of dropped them. There was nothing he could possibly do to kill the creature of Grimm in front of him.

The Cackler's jaw opened wide. It was prepared to finish the job by ripping his head off. He took half-a-step back and nearly slipped off the cliff immediately behind him. He had nowhere to go even if he could pull himself free. He could only stare helplessly as the Grimm's horrifying teeth got closer and closer to his face. This was really it. He couldn't watch yet he couldn't tear his eyes away at the same time.

When the Cackler got less than a inch away from finishing the job, a shot echoed across the canyon and Milo, in its javelin form, flew into the side of the Cackler's head. It smashed into the wall next to them. The force of the blow was too much for the already damaged rock and a piece of the splintered canyon broke loose. He never even realized it happened.

That rock hit his head and the world turned to nothing. With his consciousness gone, the legs supporting him gave out. Just before he fell, his head turned and the last thing he saw was Penny.

That cute, quirky, robot girl sat on her butt with a dumbfounded expression on her face. It was like she didn't even know what was happening in front of her right now. Such a vivid expression reminded him that she was alive. He had saved her life just now.

He felt relief.

This had been to save her.

There was nothing to regret about that.

The only regret he did have was not being able to talk to his partner one last time.

"I'm sorry... Blake." He wasn't even sure his mouth was able to properly form those words as he fell over the side of the cliff.

And into the darkness below.

* * *

 **Chapter End**

* * *

 **AN:** So how many of you hate me yet?

The Cackler is a Grimm I came up with myself and it's supposed to just be a demented Hyena, kind of crossed with something straight out of Devil May Cry. I'm not sure how I feel about the name but I wanted it to have to do with their laughing trait and Cackler sounded more intimidating than Laugher or Giggler. So I went with it.

Next time, Blake and the others deal with the idea that Jaune may be dead.


	9. Dirge

Coeur Al'Aran was the beta for the original Auburn and helped me immensely during a period when we were both just getting started. Cover Art drawn by confections101 and a link to it is on my profile page. Jefardi is the one who finally kicked my butt into gear to do something about this story I had almost given up on.

* * *

 **Auburn**

 _Dirge_

* * *

"Jaune!" Pyrrha screamed and sprinted after him as hard as she could.

She could only watch helplessly with her arms outstretched as he slipped free from the Cackler's claws and tumbled off the cliff-side. "No, no, no! Jaune!" She didn't stop running anyways until she made it the the ledge he disappeared over.

The only thing she could see beneath her was darkness.

He was gone.

"Jaune…" Pyrrha collapsed to her knees. Why? Why did that just happen? Jaune was... he was the one inspiring the rest of them. When they learned he... when they found out, they would be broken. That would be all it would take for them to give up hope. There had yet to be any news from Sun yet either.

For several full minutes she sat there in stunned silence with Penny. It was almost too impossible for her to believe. That simply could not have just happened. So then, she could only ask herself this again, why? He surely shouldn't have been the one to die. When you died that was it. It was over for you. Why then did he look so satisfied as he tumbled off the cliff? He had smiled as if he was posing for a camera while instead he was falling to his death.

That certainly wasn't normal. If she had to guess she would have said it had been for Penny. Had he and Penny really grown so close over these past couple hours that he would gladly die for her? Then again, he had been ready to sacrifice himself for all of them not too long ago. Was this action simply an extension of that? She had no idea.

She had failed not only to help him, but to even understand him. She came running when she heard his panicked yell over the scroll and still failed. If anything, the result of her actions had been what caused the final blow that knocked him out. It was because of her he had fallen.

As if to mock their despair, Shirou Schnee let out a nasally chuckle. "My, my, my. Did you see that smile he gave you as he fell to his death just now, Miss Polendina?"

Pyrrha whipped her head to see him standing on a pillar that was removed from the rest of the ground they stood on. Only a small pathway connected their two pieces of earth. Penny, who had been sitting in stunned silence, finally moved her head slightly to show she even heard Shirou had said something. Bangs obstructed her eyes and other than the frown on her face, Pyrrha had no idea what to make of what she was possibly feeling.

"Isn't it kind of ironic? The one person his death managed to save and she isn't even a real girl. Yet he still managed to look like he didn't have a single regret. A twisted kid right up until the end." Pyrrha didn't understand any of what Shirou just said but Penny clearly did.

She jumped to her feet and head whipped up, revealing eyes filled with overwhelming sadness and unbridled resentment. "These are also new emotions for me too." Penny's unbroken arm was shaking so violently it looked ready to pop off. "I have never in my life wanted to kill a human-being. Right now I want to kill you so badly it hurts." Every word sounded like she was fighting back the urge to scream and shout.

"You are certainly welcome to try." Shirou must have found her anger funny because his smirk had grown even bigger. "You couldn't do anything against me when you were at full fighting capacity. What do you plan to do like that? Self-destruct?" Penny was clearly in rough shape and Pyrrha knew she didn't stand a chance either. If Jaune and Penny had failed together, what could she do?

She attempted to reach out and destroy the scroll using her Semblance, but the black energy didn't take hold, not able to find any trace of metal on the device on his wrist. There was nothing she could do. They needed to wait for reinforcements. She shakily got to her feet and stumbled numbly over to the other girl.

"Penny." She touched her shoulder gently. "We need to go." She couldn't let the others wait any longer. She would just tell them Jaune stayed behind until they had word of their reinforcements and their morale was back up.

"Hey Jaune!" Sun's voice cut in over their scrolls and Pyrrha flinched. "I've got good news! We've met up with the others and are about to head back as soon as I get them up to speed! I've got this cute girl with me who says she's your partner and everything!" Pyrrha's heart froze.

Blake. She would never forgive them for allowing Jaune to die. Pyrrha had never seen a moment the two of them were separated since they'd been partnered.

"Jaune?" Sun's voice came back in with inquisitive concern. She had to tell them. Blake had the right to know. It would certainly hurt the remaining leaders but they didn't have to hold out for much longer.

She clicked her scroll's mic on and brought it up to her mouth.

"Blake."

* * *

Blake and the others were getting sick of standing around. They had finally found someone from the leaders and it was like all progress had stopped after that.

At first, it was because the other teams thought Sun and Nebula were trying to run away by themselves and their teams had naturally jumped to their defense. Sun just barely managed to explain everything that had happened before a civil war was able to break out among the trainees.

Which was a good thing too, because that wouldn't have helped anyone. Sun had then insisted on alerting the others and now they were stuck here waiting for some kind of response. Anything. Why specifically Sun was calling for Jaune, Blake had no idea but apparently the two had become friends. Maybe it was some kind of blond thing?

"Blake." Finally, someone responded. However, it wasn't Jaune but Pyrrha's voice shakily cutting through the scroll and Blake raised her eyebrow at it. He only shrugged and handed it to her.

"Pyrrha. It's me. Where's Jaune?" A bad feeling ensnared her heart but she quickly stomped it out. It was impossible. He was fine.

"J-Jaune…" Pyrrha's voice cut in and then immediately cut back out.

Hey! Hey, hey, hey.

This wasn't funny.

This wasn't funny one bit.

Pyrrha, she was going to cut back in any second and tell her Jaune was fine. She was going to tell her the idiot had gotten tired and decided to take a nap or something ridiculous like that.

"Jaune is…"

That didn't happen.

No, don't you say it Pyrrha. Don't you say it! Blake screamed this inside her head and had to force herself not to scream it into the scroll.

Jaune was fine.

He absolutely had to be fine.

"Jaune is dead."

Sun's scroll slipped from Blake's fingers and clattered to the hard-rock ground. She wasn't even aware of any of that. All sound was muted and her eyes were blind to everything that was happening around her. Pyrrha's words echoed around in her head.

Jaune was... dead?

That wasn't possible.

She wouldn't believe that.

She couldn't believe that.

"Jaune?" Ruby stumbled forward out of the corner of her eye. "Did she just say... Jaune died?" Her voice was as full of the disbelief Blake herself felt.

Sun snarled and picked up his scroll. "Pyrrha! What the Hell are you saying? What happened?"

"H-He came down with Penny to fight Shirou Schnee." Blake's bow twitched at that name. "They were ambushed by Grimm and Penny was injured. Jaune... died protecting her." Pyrrha's voice cracked at the end and it sounded like she bit back a sob. Blake's hands clenched together so tightly she could feel her nails break the skin. That bastard Shirou just watched!?

There was absolutely no way she could believe that this had happened. She needed... she needed to see Jaune for herself. She had to go to him right now. Her brain told herself this but her legs wouldn't move. Her whole body was frozen stiff.

Jaune was her friend! Her very first true friend. Not one she formed while fighting for some cause. Sure, they met fighting, but it was different. He was supposed to mark the start of her new life, one where she wasn't shackled down by the binds of her race. He was supposed to be different from Adam. He was supposed to be there for her.

That wasn't possible if he was dead.

So she refused to believe it, because it just plain wasn't true. Her brain caught itself in a continuous loop and was the cause of her frozen movement.

Weiss' hand rested on her shoulder and she gave a small start. Before she could even turn to look at her, Weiss walked past, each step showing her growing agitation. "Give me that!" She snapped at Sun and snatched his scroll.

"Pyrrha! This is Weiss. You made absolute sure he is dead? You checked his pulse?" Blake could hear the deep frustration and anger in her tone and it honestly surprised her. Weiss was the last person she expected to hear angry over the idea that Jaune was dead. If anything, she thought she would be elated.

There were several moments of silence and the Heiress clicked her teeth angrily. "Pyrrha! I asked you a question!"

"...H-he fell. I had no way to check for his pulse." Pyrrha responded with a stutter.

"So you're not next to his body?" Weiss clarified and turned to give a satisfied smirk to Blake and Ruby. When her eyes met theirs, Blake finally realized what it was she was up to. Jaune... it was actually possible he was alive!

"N-no. But he-"

"But nothing!" Weiss cut her off. "You haven't checked his pulse. His body isn't next to you. How do you know for sure he died? Jaune Arc is many things. Easily killed isn't one of them. Just stay put. We're coming. And we'll get Jaune ourselves." Weiss tossed the scroll back to Sun and he fumbled with it for a second before managing to properly catch it. "Take us to Razor Canyon."

"Uh... what?" Sun still looked confused by the turn of events.

Weiss sighed in exasperation so Blake stepped forward for her and snarled at him. "Take us to where Jaune and the others are."

"R-right!" He suddenly started nodding vigorously and turned to the others. "Let's get moving!" They all nodded and took off running at once.

Weiss was absolutely right. Jaune was alive. He was an idiot with the uncanny ability to get himself into near-death situations at every turn but he was also incredibly adept at escaping with his life by the skin of his teeth. She just had to trust in him... and kick his ass to remind him not to do it again. It had taken Weiss' words to remind her of this. For once she was grateful to the Heiress.

Sun brought his scroll back up to his mouth. "Pyrrha! What's going on over there now? Can you guys make it out of the canyon and help us pincer the Grimm?" That strategy probably made the most sense, Blake reasoned. Once they had dealt enough damage to the Grimm they would be able to simply turn around and fight their way back. With just eight people it would have been impossible. With thirty-two, it shouldn't prove too difficult. They didn't even have to worry about Shirou. There was just the matter of finding Jaune left to figure out.

"Negative Sun!" Pyrrha yelled into her scroll before they heard her give a mighty shout of exertion. Not doubt in battle with Grimm. They heard a myriad of different creatures screaming and crying in the background. "We've one injured over here and we're surrounded! We... we can't hold out for more than another couple minutes!"

"Ah shit!" Sun grumbled before turning his mic back on. "Everyone! Hang on! We'll be there in a couple seconds! Just no one die!" Before he even finished putting his scroll away his pace quickened.

"Hold on, Pyrrha." Yang whispered between breaths and broke into the front of the pack. Blake sympathized with her right now. The only difference was they knew for certain her partner was alive. No! She couldn't think like that. He was alive. He was without a doubt alive!

And the minute she saw him she would break his damn nose.

She used her enhanced vision to focus ahead of them and to take her mind off the thoughts of her partner. Somehow the ground ahead was too dark for even her to see. In fact, it was pitch black. She stared at it more intently and realized the darkness was wriggling.

All at once it clicked. That wasn't the ground in the distance. It was a mass of Grimm so tightly packed together they looked like one entity. That was the location of Razor Canyon.

"That's a lot of Grimm." Ren noticed aloud and murmuring began to spread amongst the rest of their peers. It was unnerving how thickly they had gathered in one spot. Blake was positive she had never seen so many in her whole life.

This simply proved how much negativity a failed expansion was capable of drawing in. They were wonderful when they succeeded, but even more catastrophic when they failed. This was all the evidence needed to prove that.

The Grimm were diving into the canyon only a little at a time. As unintelligent as they were, even those monsters knew not to just go jumping off cliffs but with that many of them in play she would bet the ones at the front were being shoved off by the others behind them.

"Is there even a good strategy for dealing with that many?" Sun chuckled awkwardly as every second brought the group closer and closer to the overwhelming scourge ahead.

"We should just cut a path through the middle!" Weiss immediately took command. "Pyrrha and the others need immediate assistance! We can worry about clearing ourselves a path out once they're all safe!"

"That's an idea I can get behind!" Yang's gauntlets clicked and locked into their active mode.

"I take it we don't have any objections then?" Sun began spinning his nunchaku around in a flashy display as he readied them.

"None here!" Nora pulled out her weapon which unfolded into a giant hammer.

Numerous shouts echoed behind them as everyone psyched themselves up for the oncoming bloodbath they were charging into.

Blake nodded to Ruby and pulled Gambol Shroud out. Ruby unhooked Crescent Rose. Next to them she saw Lie Ren slip Stormflower out from his sleeves. "This is it." She whispered under her breath. She could unleash all of the pent of anger she was feeling right now on the mob in front of her. She was honestly looking forward to a little release.

Silence settled over the group and the only sound that could be heard was their ragged breath and stomping feet as they neared their still unaware enemies.

The Grimm were making all kinds of horrendous sounds that blended together and formed one horrific hive noise. Finally, a couple of them turned around. Their red eyes shone brightly amid the mass of black and Blake raised Gambol Shroud into firing position.

"Fire!" Weiss shouted as Myrtenaster shot a bolt of lightning right from the tip. It burned a hole right through a line of Grimm in front of them and suddenly many more were aware of the new threat.

Before they had so much as a chance to react however, all the students simultaneously let out war cries as they followed Weiss' lead.

Sun's nunchaku fired off like a pistol and whipped backwards from the recoil before he slung the other one forward to shoot that one off too.

Nebula launched a bolt from her crossbow into the thick.

Nora's Magnhild took apart groups at a time while Ren's Stormflower mowed down a row of them with practiced ease.

"Outta my way!" Yang swung her arms viciously, each swing discharging a shell that blew the Grimm into hunks.

Ruby and Blake added their own gunfire to the mix and a plethora of other types of Dust ammunition flew just over the top of their heads as everyone else rained fire down with them. One girl was throwing daggers. Another created a freaking tornado that lifted dozens of Grimm off the ground and sent them flying.

In a matter of seconds they had cleared a massive opening into the wall of Grimm and they charged right into where their opponents were now just a lump of corpses.

Weiss merely created a glyph for herself to jump over them but not everyone else was nearly as lucky. There were so many dead Grimm that running became impossible and they were forced to trip and stumbled over the hunks of limbs and numerous appendages to make their way forward.

Blake leapt around the carnage with ease and did everything in her ability to keep up with Weiss. Ruby unfolded Crescent Rose and spun it around in twirling slashes to literally mow her way through the carnage. Some girl on a hover-board merely flew over them all, the front of the board firing off blasts of Dust. Another girl in rollerblades glided through, glowing nunchaku flailing to beat back other Grimm.

Weiss landed in front of a pack of angry Beowulfs and slammed her sword into the ground. Spikes of ice sprouted from the ground in front of her and impaled the Grimm from below. A Boarbatusk charged her from the side. Ruby appeared in a flash next to the boar-like Grimm and sent it flying into the air with a quick underhanded swing. Blake pointed her pistol skywards and pumped a couple bullets into its underbelly.

"You might want to stand back!" Yang caught up with them and charged right at Weiss' ice spikes. She jumped and slammed both fists into them simultaneously, causing them to shatter and shoot shards of ice in multiple directions. The shards buried into the hide of numerous Grimm, injuring most and killing some.

Blake glanced back to see most of the others had switched to physical combat now as well. They had charged into the thick of the Grimm and the pathway behind them had sealed as the creatures had quickly filled in the gap they had caused. They were completely surrounded on all sides.

That was fine with her. She had no desire to go back anyways. Her only goal was to push forward. Gambol Shroud unfolded back into a katana and she strolled purposefully into the closest pack of Grimm that she could. Both blades of her weapon swung and beheaded three different species of Grimm before they could even react.

Ruby landed next to her and brought down several more just by swinging Crescent Rose in a simple arc. They were so tightly packed in by Grimm at this point they could literally swing anywhere and they would strike something.

It should have been a horrifying experience and it wasn't one she would ever want to go through again. But right now, all these Grimm were mere annoyances to her. They were simply something standing between her and Jaune.

The ground began shaking violently and following that quake was a low, loud moaning sound from directly beneath them.

"Oh no…" Blake recognized that noise. Even the Grimm immediately around them began to scramble away in a hurry.

"What!? What is it?" Ruby attempted to maintain her balance after a rather violent quake.

"Dirge Wyrms." Blake quickly turned back to the others and inhaled as deeply as she could. "Everyone scatter!" She shouted at the top of her lungs and heeded her own words, grabbing Ruby's hand to yank her along.

"What's a Dirge Wyrm?" Weiss hadn't yet moved but Yang had the sense to grab the Heiress by the waist and literally rip her off her feet as she retreated. "Hey!"

The violent shaking stopped for a brief moment which let Blake know they were here. Silence had settled over the whole area as even the Grimm appeared too terrified to make a sound.

Then the very earth erupted as hunks of the stone and dirt were ripped wide apart, sending large boulders flying in all directions and causing debris to rain down on students and Grimm alike. Some on both sides had been too close to the epicenter of these explosions and had been sent airborne. Four giant worm-like creatures broke free from the earth and rose high into the air as they reached their maximum exposed height.

Yang grinned at the Heiress. "That answer your question?"

Weiss only nodded numbly at the sarcastic remark. Blake couldn't blame her for being speechless. These Dirge Wyrms were massive. If she had to guess, one of them alone could probably swallow at least ten full-grown adults simultaneously. Add to that and they reached impossibly tall over their heads. Even if everyone present stacked on top of one another and stood straight up they wouldn't reach half the height of the monstrosities before them.

With loud crunches, the Dirge Wyrms chewed apart chunks of rocks, flexing their incredible jaw strength. Those mouths consisted of four flaps, each one lined with more teeth than should have ever been necessary for any creature to have. Their heads finally turned towards everything beneath them. More rocks were sent flying as the one closest to them continued to rip the boulder in its mouth apart and Blake was forced to dodge away with Ruby.

"Shit! We've got injured over here!" Sun called out over the mayhem and Blake turned to see at least four people had either been hit by the debris or had landed roughly after being propelled through the air.

"Weiss!" Blake turned to the Heiress. "We need a plan!"

"R-right!" Weiss quickly snapped out of her stupor and assessed the situation. "We need anyone with explosive power to deal the finishing blow! I need those most proficient in melee combat to gather the injured! Those with basic ranged ability need to distract these Dirge Wyrms and any of the other Grimm!"

"I'll get the injured then!" Yang immediately sprinted away from Weiss and made her way over to Sun and the girl he was helping up. "Nora! Ren! Help Weiss' group take this one down!" She shouted to her other two teammates as she passed them.

"Got it." Ren nodded.

"You can count on us!" Nora saluted and sprinted over to join them.

"We've got Grimm coming from behind us!" Ruby pulled at Blake's arm and she turned around to see a group of Creeps charging right at them.

"Ruby!" Weiss called. "You and Ren hold off the other Grimm! I need Blake and her Semblance to help me distract the Dirge Wyrm so Valkyrie can get in a clear shot!"

Blake nodded and pat Ruby on the shoulder. "Good luck."

"You need it more." The younger girl smirked playfully for just a second before getting serious. Ren ran past and she quickly joined him. Blake watched her back for a moment before the Dirge Wyrm let out another one of its loud, low moans. The other three all let out their own cries in response and for just a brief amount of time they synchronized together and formed an almost depressing melody. A Dirge indeed... Blake grinned dryly as she shook the thought loose. No one was dying here today. There would be no need for that kind of music.

She jogged up to Weiss who was hiding behind one of the fallen boulders and peeking at the Dirge Wyrm from around it. "Howdy there ladies!" Nora joined the two of them as well.

"Miss Valkyrie." Weiss greeted dryly while Blake merely nodded in greeting. Neither of them were particularly good at dealing with bubbly people like her, even in combat situations. "I need you to hang back and try to make your presence as small as possible. Blake and myself will get you a clear shot into its maw. Once you have it, unload as much as you can. We don't know how much is going to be enough to bring one of these things down."

"Okie Dokie!" Nora nodded seriously despite her more lackadaisical words.

"I'll go out first. My Semblance gives me a better chance at dodging." Blake peeked once more around to see the Dirge Wyrm's head had swung towards Ruby and Ren. She needed to distract it now.

"Blake." She turned back to Weiss, wondering what she wanted. They didn't have much time. The Heiress fidget with her skirt and averted both eyes. "Thank you for listening to me. I know we don't get along, but I appreciate the trust you're putting in me."

Blake gave her a coy smile and almost chuckled. "Don't get too used to it. Once we get Jaune, it's back to normal."

Weiss huffed. "That's fine."

"You two really think he's alive?" Nora sounded genuinely curious. She likely had little reason to doubt her leader was wrong. That just proved how little she knew Jaune.

"We do." She and Weiss answered in perfect synchronization.

Blake took off running. She couldn't afford to wait another second. The Dirge Wyrm was rearing its head back as it prepared to attack Ren and Ruby. Once more she transformed Gambol Shroud into a pistol and unloaded a couple bullets right at the head of the massive Grimm.

It gave a small start as the bullets pelted it, probably causing it nothing more than a minor itch at best. Still, she got its attention and it turned, letting out another one of its low moans. It lunged, far more quickly than she had anticipated. Why were the big Grimm never actually slow? It was just plain counter-intuitive.

She left a shadow clone behind and dashed out of the way. It smashed into the ground with its jaw wide up and sent hunks of earth flying in every direction. Blake bent and and dodged out of the way as numerous rocks passed by like bullets. If a single one of those hit wrong it would likely puncture a hole right through her.

A trail of ice traveled up to the Dirge Wyrm while it still had its face buried in the ground and encased it completely in a solid block. Hopefully that bought them some time. No sooner did she think this than the ice cracked and splintered apart as the Grimm reared its head back. It whipped itself around like a snapped cord. The mere size of the Grimm alone caused a strong gale to blow through and Blake was nearly picked up off her feet.

"I don't think trapping it is a good strategy!" Blake called over the torrent.

"You think!?" She barely managed to hear Weiss respond.

The Wyrm shook its head as it righted itself out and glanced between the two. She didn't see any eyes on the Grimm but some way or another it was able to sense them. It opened its mouth wide and roared again.

Before it could finish, five bursts of pink flew right for it. They smashed it around the edges of its maw but none of them did any damage that appeared more than superficial. Instead it appeared to get even more angry as it turned on Nora.

"Oops." She grinned sheepishly as Blake and Weiss both glared at her. They had expected her to shoot deep into its mouth in order to blow it up from the inside. Just hitting it around the head wasn't going to do anything.

"Damn." Blake clicked her teeth and unloaded several Dust shots into the side of the massive Grimm. It completely ignored her now as it put all its focus into Nora. It lunged at her and she unfolded Magnhild into its hammer form. She stepped onto the base of it, using it to launch herself away from from its maw. It slammed into the ground and immediately picked its head back up, crunching on the numerous rocks it had unearthed as it did.

They were in way over their heads against this thing. What choice did they have but to make it work? Every second they wasted trying to devise a way to kill it was a second they allowed those in the canyon to get overrun. Even if Grimm were no longer approaching from this end there was still another edge to the canyon that Grimm were undoubtedly pouring down from. They needed to hurry and end this.

If only there was a way to pin it to the ground so its mouth wasn't buried. Nora could fire right into it with no obstruction like that. If it was Jaune, what would he do? Probably something crazy and borderline suicidal. He didn't have a ranged weapon so something to physically drag it down.

Drag it down... would that work? It was nuts to think that she could but with Weiss' help she might be able to pull it off. At the very least, it was something Jaune might try.

"Weiss! I need you to place an anti-gravity glyph above it!" Blake was already running.

"My glyph won't be strong enough to bring something like that down! It would require too much Dust!" Weiss shot at the Dirge Wyrm with lightning and it finally took its attention off Nora.

"What if you use it on me?" She didn't have long to wait for an answer, already nearly to the base of where the Wyrm was protruding from the ground.

She saw Weiss' eyes light up even from this distance. "Just get yourself up there! I'll handle it!"

Blake smirked. Her Jaune-inspired plan was a go. Now she just had to hope her luck held up as well as his usually did. She reached the Dirge Wyrm and without even missing a beat started running right up the side of it while using her Aura to increase velocity. The Wyrm lunged at Weiss, causing the entire thing to even out so she didn't have to run at such a vertical angle.

Just as the Dirge Wyrm straightened itself back out she reached the top of its head. She created a clone to kick herself into the air above it. She spun around and landed upside-down on Weiss' glyph that had just appeared. An incredible pressure took over her body as her gravity was more than quintupled. The very force of the runes threatened to break her bones.

She fought past the pain and allowed the increased gravity to take effect. The force plummet her back towards the Wyrm, both blades pointed to stab into it. They sunk into flesh without resistance and her body slammed down not a moment later. The Grimm let out a loud, deep cry and she twisted her blades forward in an effort to guide the creature.

Her idea paid off and the Dirge Wyrm lunged forward, slamming against the earth. This time its mouth wasn't pointed directly into the dirt and instead continued to roar as it slid across the open terrain, occasionally swallowing a stray Grimm whole.

"Nora!" Blake yelled.

"Now!" Weiss finished.

"Roger!" Nora crouched down on one knee and unloaded a barrage of grenades right into the Dirge Wyrms opened jaw. Blake heard several booms beneath her as pink explosions went off throughout the Grimm's interior. With a final, struggled roar the Grimm quit moving and died.

Blake sat atop of it for several moments trying to catch her breath. They had done it! She couldn't believe that actually worked! That was insane. So many things could've gone wrong with that strategy the odds of it actually going right were insurmountably against her. She wanted to bust out into laughter.

She held it in as someone climbed up the side of the dead Grimm to join her. "Blake!" It was Weiss. "Are you okay? My glyph didn't increase your gravity too much did it?"

"I'll say it did." The faunus groaned as she stumbled to her feet and pulled Gambol Shroud free. "I thought my ribs were going to pop out. My lungs still hurt." She paused for a second before nodding appreciatively. "Nice work."

Weiss let out a relieved snort. "It looks like the others finished theirs off as well." Blake looked to see what she said was true. The corpses of the other massive Grimm were already smoking, their bodies having begun to disintegrate. "Let's go meet up with Ren and Ruby." She indicated towards the pair. The two of them had almost fought their way to the cliff-side. Just another dozen Grimm stood between them and the leaders.

Yang, Sun, and his team were making their way over with the four that had been wounded. The others were beginning to migrate that way as well, still fighting off any Grimm that strayed too closely.

"What's the plan when we reach the others?" Blake asked as she and Weiss descended off the Dirge Wyrm.

"First I intend to get all the information I can from Pyrrha. We'll discuss our options once I know exactly what my uncle is up to." Weiss answered just as they stopped in front of Nora.

The usually bubbly girl rubbed her head sheepishly. "My bad earlier." She mumbled.

Weiss didn't even stop while responding. "Don't worry about it. You performed admirably in the end." She walked directly past and Blake hesitated for a moment. Should she say something to her? What would she say? What did one normally say to make acquaintances feel better? Especially someone as usually hyper and vibrant as Nora?

"Thanks. You saved me there." She offered awkwardly. It was kind of true, even if it was part of the plan. If Nora hadn't fired when they told her the Dirge Wyrm may have just rolled over and crushed her under it.

Surprisingly, her words seemed to have the desired effect and Nora broke into a huge grin. "Not a problem Blakey! Anything for a friend!" She patted her roughly on the back and the faunus stumbled forward from the force.

A friend? She wouldn't really call them friends... it had just been one battle. Then again, wasn't that all it took for her to befriend Jaune? Why did it have to be so different with Nora? Blake let out a small smile.

Having more friends actually sounded nice.

She just really hoped it hadn't cost her one to finally realize that fact.

* * *

Weiss snarled in frustration as she stabbed down a Beowulf that had the audacity to cross her path. Couldn't these creatures understand that they had been beaten? Despite having started with overwhelming numbers they had slaughtered like the dull beings that they were.

She supposed she shouldn't expect more from something that's sole existence was to hunt down and kill humanity. A deafening roar echoed behind her and she whirled around to see another massive wave of Grimm approaching from the distance. Just great.

"I think we need to make a new decision quickly." Blake observed dryly as she and Nora jogged up to her.

"You think?" Weiss internally flinched at the sharpness in her own voice. She didn't mean to come across so frustrated all the time. She was making strides to at least try and be more pleasant to others. Not that their current situation was helping.

She actually didn't even dislike Blake at all. However, their always brooding teammate seemed determined to despise her despite the fact that Weiss had never done anything to her that she was aware of. Regardless of the reasons, she generally tried to be polite but that was incredibly hard for someone as confrontational as herself, especially when the other girl always seemed so determined to pick a fight.

She shook these thoughts off. No time for her own internal brooding. She could worry about her relationship with her teammates after they made sure their knuckleheaded leader was still breathing.

"Ruby!" She called just as the younger girl dispatched the last Grimm between them and the cliff. "Can you see the others?" Ruby did a quick scan of the canyon beneath them before her eyes lit up and she pointed to her left. "They're over there!"

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Yang jogged over to them. Most of the others had joined them as well. "Let's get them outta there!"

"No!" Weiss earned several confused looks as she approached the side of the cliff and looked down to see the canyon for herself. Huge vines covered the entirety of it and Grimm bodies were littered all over the place, some of them already smoking as they dissipated. Where Ruby had indicated she could see the remaining leaders form a defensive line around what appeared to be the one injured Pyrrha mentioned. They were using the vines above them as shelter but it wouldn't be much longer before they were overrun. "We need to head down there."

"Uh... we have injured with us." Sun indicated to the girl he was holding and the three others behind him that his teammates were helping.

"Bring them with us." Weiss brushed it aside with that and prepared to jump down.

"We should just bring them up here!" Someone else suddenly shouted and Weiss let out another frustrated sigh. "We all know you three just want to stick around so you can look for your dead leader! That doesn't mean you have to get the rest of us killed along the way!" Blake's hair bristled and Weiss saw her reach for Gambol Shroud as she turned to find whoever it was that said that.

Weiss stepped over and caught her by the wrist before she could do something they would all regret. Blake whirled on her and she stepped up close while whispering quietly enough only for her to hear. "I've got this." She then turned back to everyone else.

The boy earlier was right in a way. Weiss' only real interest in staying was to make sure Jaune was alive. She found it difficult to admit but she felt slightly indebted to him. He didn't have to make her the co-leader of the team. He hadn't even had to listen to her when she had tried to rip the title from him. Instead he had done both and had genuinely treated her like an equal when it came to managing the team. He actively sought her opinion and made sure to make her feel included despite how difficult she had initially tried to make his life.

Despite herself, Weiss had grown fond of Jaune. She would never tell this to his face and he still usually irritated her to no end with his antics, but it was at least true that a small part of her felt this way.

"Do you really think we can flee from here while carrying all our injured? What about your leaders? They're all exhausted. How many people are going to have to help them hobble along so we can move at half-speed while the leftovers fight? I sure don't like our odds." Quiet murmurs broke out as everyone began to realize the truth of her words. "What if we get attacked by more of those Dirge Wyrms? We'll be annihilated! Nevermind half of us dying. We'd be lucky if even a fraction of us survived."

"Then what do we do?"

"We can't just stay here!"

"There's gotta be something else."

Shouts of panic assaulted Weiss and she only continued to glare at them all. It was Yang that stepped forward to answer them. "Just quit your bitching! I'm going after Pyrrha! We can figure all that other shit out after!" Without waiting for a response she turned and jumped into the canyon.

"Any objections?" Weiss only waited for a second. "Good." She turned and followed after. All the others quickly decide to follow too. Soon the entire student body had landed on the vines that covered the canyon and were making their way to the leaders.

"Pyrrha!" Yang blasted a couple of the Grimm out of the way. Without even slowing down she ran into her leader and tackled her, knocking them both to the ground. That was all well and nice but they couldn't afford for everyone to have that touching a reunion. They were still right in the middle of this mad game and Grimm were pouring in from every direction.

"Everyone! Create a defensive circle around this point while I get the intel I need!" Weiss shouted her command back and she heard them all reluctantly agree. At least they had some sense left still.

"Come on guys, you heard her!" Sun and his team placed down the injured with the girl Weiss recognized as Penny. His team then quickly rejoined the fray, the sound of battles erupting in full force around them. The three remaining members of Auburn approached the Mistral Champion.

"B-Blake." Pyrrha greeted as she broke away from Yang's tight hug. "I'm sor-"

"Just stop right there." Weiss cut her off. She had no desire to hear an apology from her now. "Where is my Uncle? Knowing him, he's picked an annoyingly strategic position to hide-out in."

"He is standing on a pillar on the canyon floor." Penny answered as she joined their group. Sun walked up with her. "There is only a small pathway connecting it to the rest of the ground. Jaune fell off the ledge trying to protect me." Weiss took note of her arm which appeared to be using Jaune's hoodie as a sling, along with Crocea Mors which now hung off her hip. She also caught Blake staring at it too, several different emotions crossed her face at once as she did.

"About how many people do you think could fight him on that pillar?" Weiss turned to Penny now as she asked her questions.

"Four would be the most efficient." The girl didn't hesitate to answer.

"You can't seriously be planning to go down and fight him?" Pyrrha muttered in what sounded like disbelief.

"Of course we're going to fight him." Weiss looked around to the others to gauge for their reactions. Blake, of course, immediately nodded. Ruby was also nodding vigorously just next to her.

"There's enough of us now, isn't there? Why don't we just all jump him at once?" Sun offered and Weiss sighed in annoyance. He clearly didn't understand anything.

"It will not work." Penny shook her head. "He was holding back against Jaune and myself. If he utilized his full strength he would easily cut down several of us with one swing."

"I know how he fights." Weiss continued as if no one had said anything. "As long as myself and an elite team take him on together we should be able to win. I'm confident of it."

"Who did you have in mind?" Sun cracked his knuckles and smiled eagerly.

"I'm thinking Ruby, Lie Ren, and Miss Valkyrie should assist me." She got nod a from their younger teammate but Blake was glaring daggers at her. It made sense that Jaune's partner more than anyone wanted to defeat her uncle. He had caused this mess that had caught Jaune in the crossfire to begin with. She probably felt entitled to a little payback.

"Calm down, Blake." Weiss spoke evenly as she matched the glare with one of her own. "I need you to go retrieve Jaune from wherever it is he's managed to find himself." Immediately after the words left her mouth the look in Blake's eyes switched from menacing to one of grateful understanding.

"Pyrrha. You should continue to run things up here. You've done an excellent job thus far. I figured your partner would want to stick close by to keep an eye on you too." Weiss sent Yang an even glare to which that blonde only grinned back.

"You're damn right about that! I'm counting on you to knock that bastard down a couple pegs, Ruby." She pointed at her younger sister.

Ruby gripped Crescent Rose a little more tightly and her face settled into a determined scowl. "I'll make him pay for what he's done to Jaune."

"What about me? I want to come with you guys." Sun pleaded and waved his hands animatedly.

Weiss nodded to him. "Pick someone from your team to accompany you. You'll be coming down with us to guard the injured. They'll be safest at the bottom levels of the canyon and away from the combat against the Grimm."

Sun's excitement almost instantly turned to pouting. "That sounds like glorified babysitting to me."

"I think it sounds like an important role." Blake gave Sun a small smile and his tail instantly perked up.

"Neptune and I are your guys!" He jumped up and saluted. Weiss could almost see Blake groan on the inside.

"Everyone clear on their roles?" She looked around once again and they all nodded. "Good. Then let's make this happen." Immediately after saying this, Sun took off to his teammates to once again begin moving the wounded. Pyrrha and Yang meanwhile split off to lead the others, calling Ren and Nora back who had been fighting Grimm.

"I will help guide you down to Mister Schnee." Penny stepped forward and Weiss regarded her for another second.

"Very well. Lead the way then." She indicated off the side of the vine and deeper into the canyon. Penny strolled past them and jumped into the darkness. Blake and Ruby were immediately behind her. Weiss watched the two of them go. Ren and Nora ran past and joined her team while Sun and some blue-haired boy who must have been Neptune helped the other injured begin to move.

She took a hesitant breath now that no one was looking.

She would never admit it aloud but... her uncle frightened her.

The very thought that she was about to go up against him in combat was terrifying. She couldn't back out now either. Who else would defeat him but her? She knew him best.

It was her duty to do this.

* * *

Ruby followed just behind Penny as she led them deeper into the darkness. Her mind wandered to thoughts about Jaune as they walked in complete silence. It was kind of unsettling. Just moments ago they had been surrounded by the constant sound of combat and now it echoed just faintly above them. Nora's humming was the only noise emitted from their current group.

She didn't want to think about his death right now. It was better to think about something that made her happy. Like weapons. So she turned to Weiss and tried to put her usual enthusiasm into her voice. "What's your Uncle's weapon like? Does it have a name?" The end result was flat, barely above monotone.

"His katana has a Dust revolver similar to Myrtenaster." Weiss' fingers drummed against her own rapier. "If it has a name, Uncle never told me what it was. The abilities are numerous and it depends on which canisters he brought with him. I'll have to figure out what he intends to do on the fly. Just be prepared for anything."

"Is it true that all Schnee's have the same Semblance?" Penny asked. "I did not see him use any glyphs during our last encounter."

"Uncle was adopted, so no. His Semblance is annoying to deal with all the same. Father always called it Prediction Line. Basically, Uncle sees a projection of what you're going to do several seconds before you're going to even do it." Well that just sounded unfair. Ruby liked to think her Semblance was pretty useful but if this guy could predict her before she was even there then what good was it?

"How does it just know?" Blake asked and Ruby could almost see the gears in her head spinning.

"How do any of our Semblances actually work?" Weiss snapped, for seemingly no reason. "It could be numerous things. Maybe it reads our minds? Maybe it uses the tension in our joints and muscles? Maybe it just actually _sees_ into the future? I don't know."

"I'm just trying to come up with our best strategy!" Blake immediately snapped back. Neither one of them would even look at the other and Ruby finally realized how stressed they were. Despite their firm claims that Jaune was alive, they clearly had doubts. The longer they went with seeing him the worse the tension became. What had started as an uneasy truce between them was crumbling quickly.

"We're here." Penny interrupted as they came to a floor of overlapping roots. A hole big enough for several people was already cut away and Ruby was surprised to see the entire floor beneath them awash in light.

One by one they jumped into the hole and landed on the canyon floor. Ruby immediately took in their surroundings. Strange bulbs hung by the roots above them and provided their light. Just ahead of them was Jaune's chest armor and pauldrons. He must have taken them off to give Penny his hoodie. In the corner she saw the cracked wall where Jaune must have fallen. The floor in front of it was littered with blood. With his blood. She averted her gaze even as Blake continued over to it.

Ruby's eyes settled onto Shirou Schnee. The moment she saw him, anger welled up inside of her gut, burning more hot and intense than any emotion she ever felt prior. Crescent Rose unfolded and she began to stalk over.

"Ruby, wait!" Weiss called and jogged around in front of her.

"Wait for what?" Ruby almost yelled. "We're here to beat him so let's do it!" Weiss couldn't seriously mean to defend this man? Even if it had been her own uncle Qrow, Ruby wouldn't have forgiven him!

"We will. I promise. Just give me a minute with him." She also nodded back towards Ren and Nora and Ruby turned to see they looked just as ready to begin as she was.

"Why don't we just shoot him from here?" Nora asked and readied her grenade launcher.

"Don't!" Weiss warned quickly, holding a hand out. "Look at where he's standing. I guarantee you he won't make a move unless we move onto his _territory -_ in other words that pillar he's standing on. If you attack him from over here, you are 'inviting' him into our territory. That puts all the others at risk as well. He'll attack anyone over here." She nodded to the injured that Sun and Neptune were helping down.

"You know me and my games all too well, dear niece!" Shirou called out tauntingly and she whirled back towards him. The heiress began to walk menacingly forward and Ruby hurried after her.

"You!" Weiss declared and stopped just short of the pathway leading to his pillar. "Is this how you get off now? Picking on the young and attempting to crush them and their dreams?"

Shirou cocked his head questioningly, but his creepy smile didn't falter. That smile of his disgusted Ruby now. How could he look so happy after being so sure he had caused someone to die? "I don't understand your confusion. This is how I've always gotten my kicks. You know as well as I do that this is no more than a game. If you die, I win. If you break my scroll, you win. It's not too hard to understand, is it?"

"Just don't act like a sore loser when we win." Weiss stamped her foot and unhooked Myrtenaster, having apparently said her piece.

Shirou shifted his gaze towards Blake. "And just where do you think you're going, Miss Belladonna?" He asked as their last teammate looked off the edge of the cliff where Jaune had fallen.

"I'm going to bring my partner back." Blake crouched down, body tensing to make the leap. "Don't worry. I'll be back to rip your throat out once I have him." With that, she jumped, vanishing into the darkness.

"He's dead, you know?" Shirou called after her but she had already disappeared. Hearing him say it so casually like that caused the anger boiling within Ruby's belly to ignite and rise anew, this time boiling over. This man was a disgrace to everything she looked up to in a Huntsmen.

"I'm done waiting." She stepped on the back of her blade. Pulling the trigger, a discharged bullet propelled her forward and launched her onto the pillar. Shirou smirked and raised his katana. Her silver eyes met his icy blue.

She was going to avenge Jaune right now.

* * *

 **Chapter End**

* * *

 **AN:** The Dirge Wyrms were based on the Were Wyrms from The Hobbit: Battle of Five Armies movie.

One additional thing I need to talk about and that is Shirou's Semblance. When I created him, I didn't know all Schnee's inherit the same Semblance and while Weiss doesn't know it, he is actually a Schnee by birth. Just figured I should mention that.

Next time, Jaune's fate is revealed.


	10. Arc Link

Coeur Al'Aran was the beta for the original Auburn and helped me immensely during a period when we were both just getting started. Cover Art drawn by confections101 and a link to it is on my profile page. Jefardi is the one who finally kicked my butt into gear to do something about this story I had almost given up on.

* * *

 **Auburn**

 _Arc Link_

* * *

This was it.

He was dead.

Jaune Arc was absolutely, beyond a shadow of a doubt... dead.

So if he was dead... why the Hell did it still hurt so much?

He thought that when you died the pain was supposed to just stop.

Either death wasn't actually that merciful or... dare he even tempt the thought, he was alive?

Blue eyes cracked open and the world swam into focus. He was... on his back. Okay, that made sense. Kind of. Maybe not? He wasn't sure anymore. His head was killing him and that made it really hard to form coherent thoughts. Although, now that he considered it, he hurt all over. Which was only natural. He had just been put through the ringer... or had he? What had even happened? He wasn't sure about that either.

He gave up on the why and how for now and instead focused on his limbs. In order to get to the bottom of this he needed to be able to move and feel first. His hands opened and closed on command and he felt his toes curl. That was a good sign. All his extremities were still in place. They also felt really... cold? In fact, he was completely soaked all the way through and he realized then that he was partially submerged. With a start he shot straight up and into a sitting position, splashing water everywhere.

His head was not a fan of such sudden movements and his vision blanked out. Warning bells went off inside of his brain, deafening him. Both hands came up and held his throbbing head as he willed himself not to lose consciousness. It seemed like a lost cause and he was afraid oblivion was going to claim him once again but by some miracle he held out. His vision returned and the ringing subsided as the ache dulled.

"Ughh…" He groaned aloud and the noise echoed across the cavern or wherever he was. Hearing his own voice caused him to give pause for several moments. There was no way... he was actually alive? How was that even possible?

Slowly, he began to take in his surroundings, despite being terrified of what he might see. In the end, there wasn't much. He was sitting in ankle-deep water that was somehow glowing a bright blue color and illuminated the entire cavern. He peered a little more ahead and saw the water was much deeper only about a couple feet over.

Assuming he was alive, that meant he was somewhere in Razor Canyon, right? How did he get down here? What had happened? He remembered engaging Shirou in combat. Penny was injured. Then lots of panic and then nothing. What the heck was going on? Did he suffer some kind of head injury?

Very carefully, he prodded the back of his head. There was definitely some kind of swelling and he felt something else odd too. He pulled his hand back to see dried blood caked onto his fingertips. At least he wasn't going crazy. Maybe a solid blow to the head had just caused him to lose the last few minutes? As he considered this, he rubbed the wound on his right arm he received from Shirou. Both scars were still there, the katana having gone straight through. Sure that they were just scars, he moved on, this time brushing his sore stomach and his fingers grazed across skin. Wait... what?

With a horrified gaze, he turned his attention down to that spot. His hoodie and armor were gone and he only had his orange t-shirt on. On the right side of his t-shirt was a big gaping hole that exposed his completely unharmed flesh. Finally, he remembered what happened. The Cackler. It had speared him right in the gut. Then something hit him on the head, probably a rock from the wall. So that meant he had fallen right?

Actually, there was something more disconcerting than that first. Just beneath the hole and trailing down his right pant-leg was heaps of blood. His blood. There was so much of it. How was he even possibly alive?

"Did my Aura do this?" He asked aloud, if only to hear his own voice. It was rough around the edges and his throat stung some from the use, but it was worth it just to know he could speak.

Back to his own question, it was almost impossible to think Aura was capable of this much. What's more, it still felt like it was fine. His reserves didn't feel full but by no means felt even close to low. Just what in the Hell was going on? Someone must have saved him, right? It was the only logical conclusion.

"You're not entirely wrong, you know?" He yelped at the feminine, crystalline voice that came from just behind him. Splashing to his feet, he fumbled for Crocea Mors which wasn't even there. So instead he put up both fists and whirled around to see possibly the most beautiful girl he had ever laid eyes upon.

She had long blonde hair, twirled into a ponytail and deep blue eyes that were like looking into a mirror of his own. She wore a slender blue blouse that gave way to equally eloquent skirt which trailed to bare feet, giving the appearance of a princess right out of one of his fantasy tales.

A soft, chime-like giggle slipped past her lips and he relaxed the rest of the way. It didn't appear that she meant him any harm.

"Who are you? Did you save me?" He averted his gaze as he asked these questions. She was so beautiful that he almost felt like he was dirtying her just by staring.

"I didn't do anything. You saved yourself." She answered before making a soft humming noise. "As for who I am, well, that's a little more difficult to answer. The most truthful answer is a memory. However, that probably doesn't make much sense to you, am I correct?"

"Y-yeah." Jaune turned his eyes towards her bare feet. She was sitting on top of a small rock and her toes dangled in the air just above the water.

"Hmm…" The mysterious girl tapped her fingers against the rock as she considered how best to answer. "...I suppose you could call me your predecessor?"

"That doesn't make it much more clear." He shook his head. "Maybe you should start from something I can actually understand?"

The girl giggled again. God, but he loved the sound of her laugh already. "My bad, my bad. I'm still trying to get acclimated with your memories. I understand your confusion now. You're not even aware of your own Semblance, are you?"

"My... Semblance?" His head throbbed in pain and he gripped the right side of his face.

"That's right. Your Semblance. Put simply, you have the power to link to the past and harness the power of your memories." Maybe it was because his head still hurt, but that had also made zero sense to him. It most definitely wasn't because he was too stupid to get it.

"Umm, I didn't understand that either. Is there maybe an instruction manual or something I can flip through? That way I can learn at my own pace?" He wasn't sure why, but he held out a hand as if expecting her to actually magically produce a little booklet for him to do just that.

"You're a troublesome one to please, you know? I said that was put simply." Despite her words, she didn't sound frustrated. Instead, she rather sounded amused and like everything he did was incredibly funny somehow.

Okay, so maybe he just had to analyze this for a second. This girl said she was acclimating herself with his memories. Which meant what exactly? She also said she was a memory. If he took memory to have another meaning along with calling herself his predecessor, some things started to fall in line.

"So when you said you were my predecessor, you meant that you had this Semblance when you were alive?" She nodded and he felt a little proud of himself for having to be able to piece at least that much out. "How long ago are we talking about? I feel like I'd have heard of someone like you in all the stories I've been told."

She rested a finger on her cheek and tilted her head, blonde ponytail falling around the side. "Hmm... it would've been several centuries at least. I must say, you've all come a long way since my time. I wasn't from a large village so it's maybe no surprise all records of me have been lost." That sounded... a little sad actually.

"Not a single person… remembers you?" That was true death right there, having lost not just your life but all knowledge and any proof of your existence.

She shrugged and smiled. "You remember me now. That's good enough."

"So our Semblance- it have a name?" He didn't think most did, but he still wanted to give it one.

"Arc Link." Except she already had one. "That's what I always called it."

"Arc Link." He tested it, feeling the way it sounded leaving his lips. Yeah, he liked it. "That sounds pretty cool."

"Thank you."

"So I'm able to see you right now because we're linked together? That just makes you a ghost or something?" He considered trying to touch her for a second before the idea caused his face to go beet-red.

"I prefer to think of myself as a memory." She pouted, which only made her more adorable than she already was. "Arc Link is very much a Semblance of memories, so it only makes sense that it's what I would be."

"Why memories?" He finally brought his eyes up to meet hers again. Once he did, he found it almost impossible to look away.

"Of course it would be memories. There is nothing that bonds people together more powerfully than the memories you share with them, wouldn't you agree?"

"How did I wind up with this Semblance?" He revised his previous question. "I'm not really all that great at bonding with people and if I'm being honest, I'm usually pretty awkward around others. It doesn't seem like this Semblance makes much sense for someone like me."

The girl gave him a small, amused smile. "Semblances are many things. Sometimes those things are a reflection of your deepest desire. You, Jaune Arc, want nothing more in the world to be useful to someone. Blake Belladonna, who unlocked your Aura, wanted nothing more than someone she could trust. You two had just formed one of the most powerful memories of your combined lives. It's only natural that this would be the outcome, isn't it?"

"I suppose so?" All this thinking was really starting to make his head hurt. Not that his head had yet to stop hurting since he woke up. He was honestly still flabbergasted he was alive at all. "So uhh... what can I do with this memory power?"

The girl opened her mouth to respond but a loud bubbling in the distance interrupted them. He turned to see a rather large rippling had started in the middle of the lake. Something was about to emerge and he had no desire to know what.

"I suppose this is about all the time we have to talk." The girl's smile turned melancholy. "I was having so much fun too. It's been so long since I've gotten to have a conversation with someone."

"Wait, where are you going?" She couldn't leave, he still had way too many questions. "What's that thing over there? How am I supposed to get out from here? Where exactly is here?"

"Calm down, I didn't say I was going anywhere." She didn't quite snap, but it was the closest to exasperation she had come to yet. "However, our conversation is going to have to wait for later. You need to survive first and I don't have the time to explain how to harness your memories into Aurora. We need to get you somewhere safe."

"What about your name!?" She could at least give him that.

The request made her smirk. She opened her mouth and he saw her form the words but the sound of her voice never reached his ears as whatever it was burst from the water with a mighty roar. However, he did somehow feel the words enter his mind, her voice resonating inside him like a divine angel. _"My name is Charlotte."_

Five serpent-like heads thrashed wildly and sent water spraying in all directions. He gulped as the terrifying red eyes of every head turned their undivided attention towards him. He recognized this creature from the stories of his ancestors.

It was a freaking Hydra.

"What the Hell am I supposed to do against that thing?" He chuckled and took several floundering steps back. When Charlotte gave no response he glanced toward where she had been.

She was gone.

"I recommend you run." He gave a startled yelp as she appeared on the opposite side, standing on top of the water like it was only natural.

The sound of the Hydra swimming brought his attention back to the problem at hand and suddenly her suggestion sounded like a really good idea.

Directly above him was nothing but open air where he had probably fallen from. The walls were smooth and would be impossible for him to climb. The pillar that undoubtedly had Shirou at the top was to his right and it was no better. He looked behind him. A large cavern cut into the wall of the canyon and continued farther than he could see.

The alternative was stay and fight this thing with nothing to use for cover and no weapon… which probably didn't leave him with the best of odds. Several of the heads roared and he knew he only had about another two seconds to make a decision or it would be made for him.

"Dammit!" He spun around and kicked water in all directions as he struggled to run efficiently through the ankle-deep pond. It was hardly an easy task and he heard the Hydra's feet touch down on the ground just behind him.

The good news was it was probably slower at running than swimming. The bad news was that he still wasn't exactly very fast and that thing was much bigger than him. Still, he liked his odds better fleeing as opposed to fighting. That thing had five heads for crying out loud!

How was he supposed to combat that with nothing at all? He had a Semblance now... kind of. He had no idea how it worked and she said it harnessed memories. The vagueness of which wasn't super helpful given his present circumstance.

Wait a second... his scroll! He could call for help! Surely they all thought he was dead. He could let them know otherwise. While still struggling to run he began fumbling in his pocket for the device. He finally got it and raised it to his mouth. "Pyrrha! Can you hear me?"

Nothing. In fact, he hadn't even heard the mic click on. He stole a glance at it to see the screen was cracked and the device powered-off. Of course it was broken. Why would something actually work when he needed it to?

He was officially on his own. Kind of.

"I'm sure you already know this, but it's gaining on you." Charlotte pointed out not so helpfully, walking with ease atop the water and still keeping pace with him.

Despite his better judgement, he checked behind him. Oh yeah, the Hydra was closing in on him quick. The body of that thing alone was as tall as he was. Two powerful claw-like legs propelled it forward at faster than he would be capable unhindered.

The walls of the cavern he had sprinted into were smooth and formed an almost perfect half-circle around him. There was still nothing for him to use as cover. At least not that he saw. Charlotte must have. "There's a crack ahead and to your right. I think it might be big enough for you to fit in." His head immediately whirled, eyes darting for this miracle crack she spoke of.

There! And as promised, looking just big enough for him to fit inside which meant there was no way the Hydra could follow after him with its bulky size.

Next concern: What was the plan after he got in there? He could worry about that later. Getting in there and surviving at all was obviously the more important first step. Not that he liked his odds for making it there.

It was still a solid ten yards away and the Hydra was on him now. As in, right now. If he didn't do something it was going to rip him in half.

No sooner did he think that than his toe caught on a jagged rock and he stumbled and fell, flailing madly in an attempt to prevent the inevitable. With a loud splash he landed face-first just beneath the water's surface. Immediately after, the Hydra lunged.

Was this a joke? He was going to die because of a small rock and clumsy balance? How was that even right?

He had been through way too much for this to be the way he went. He finally had a Semblance and he wasn't even going to get to use it. Just how much did life want to screw with him before it was done? Seeing as he was about to die, he guessed this was the answer.

On instinct, he curled in on himself as the heads descended. Then he waited. Waited for the immense feeling of pain as the creatures ripped apart his limbs and the undoubtedly gruesome noises they would make while they enjoyed their bloody feast.

It was the sound of flesh being ripped apart that came before the immense pain he expected. Had he gone into immediate shock and simply couldn't feel anything anymore? No, that wasn't right. He could definitely still feel all his limbs and he hadn't been yanked into the air as the five heads pulled him apart and fought amongst themselves for his more juicier parts.

Instead something heavy hit the ground and sent a wave of water rolling over him. He coughed and sputtered while trying to open his eyes but something else fell and he was once again blasted by the glowing liquid which forced him to keep them closed.

Was the ceiling above them collapsing? He really hoped not. He had already filled his life quota of running out of collapsing caves. Regardless, he didn't know what else it could be and brought his hands above his head in order to protect himself.

Three more large objects hit the ground before he heard the Hydra in front of him collapse. He waited several seconds for more to happen but it seemed like it was over. Carefully, he peeked around the edge of his raised arm. All five of the Hydra's heads, right down to the base of the necks, had been severed and were lying in the shallow river around him. Blood oozed out and dyed the immediate vicinity a sickly purple color as it mixed in with the glowing blue water.

His eyes trailed to the body of the Hydra which was collapsed right in front of him. As his eyes continued to follow it upwards they landed on a pair of feet standing on the back of the now deceased Grimm.

Those eyes widened as he stared at the pair of black heels that he would recognize anywhere. There was just no way. It wasn't possible.

He continued upwards and took in the amazing sight of the girl that couldn't possibly be standing before him. Blue met with her equally disbelieving yellow.

"Blake…" His mouth breathlessly uttered the name of the girl that had just saved him from certain doom. Gambol Shroud still dripped with the blood of the beheadings it had performed.

She gave a small start at the sound of his voice. Her eyes broke contact with his and began to dart all over him as if they were trying to convince herself that he really was there at all. He noticed each time they lingered on one of his former injuries, which wasn't surprising.

He looked like Hell, he imagined. His armor was missing, the back of his head was matted with blood, a scar on his right forearm, a gaping hole in his shirt and the whole right-side of his pants were dyed red with even more blood.

In short, it had been a rough day.

Blake's eyes finally looked back into his own and several awkward moments passed as he waited for her to say something and she the same. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore and struggled to his feet, splashing water everywhere and creating the first sound either had heard since he had whispered her name.

As he was standing he gave his shirt a couple shakes in an attempt to get some of the water out before looking up to her and grinning awkwardly. "Hey." He mumbled, unsure of what else there was to say. How could he possibly express his gratitude to her in words? Whenever it seemed like he was down and out she pulled through for him. She really was the best partner in the world.

Blake's eyes flashed between so many emotions there was no way he could've possibly registered them all and with a small hop she landed a couple steps away. "You…" For the first time in what felt like forever she spoke to him. It was such a relief for him to hear too. How he had missed it! He had been afraid since this whole excursion started that he would never get to again.

"You…" She repeated, legs trembling and eyes obscured by black bangs. She took a shaky step towards him and her breathing become more erratic. Was she going to be okay? She took another step, and then another. Now she stood directly in front of him, yet he still couldn't see into her eyes.

Her shoulders were hunched and she was shaking so violently it looked like she was ready to explode. Should he say something? Probably. She was starting to worry him now. "Uh-" Just as he opened his mouth and began to stutter something out, the dam broke.

"You fucking jerk!" She shrieked at the top of her lungs and he recoiled on pure instinct. It wasn't just the volume in her voice but the look of pure rage in her eyes as she finally tilted her head up to glare at him. Before he could so much as stumble away, his vision flashed white and he was knocked back onto his butt as his partner undoubtedly sucker-punched him in the nose.

"Ah! What the hell Blake!?" He cupped both hands around his face. Blood trickled into his palms as he turned to glare up at her, tears obscuring his vision. "I think you broke my nose!" What kind of a greeting was that? He had expected a hug or something but definitely not this.

"Your nose?" Blake yelled in a strange mix of exasperation and still enraged undertones. "You fell off a cliff! A Grimm put a hole in your stomach! And you are worried. about. your. nose!?" She finished the last sentence with short, enunciated pauses between each word.

"It was my nose that just got sucker-punched, thanks for that by the way!" Which he thought gave him reason to mark it as his most pressing concern.

"Jaune! We thought you were dead! Everyone thinks you are dead!" She vaguely gestured behind her, voice cracking and lips beginning to quiver.

"Blake, I'm sorry." He whispered as he stared directly into her eyes, trying to convey how much he really meant that. He had never wanted this to happen. His glare softened and he lowered his hands to his sides, allowing the blood to fall freely from his face and further stain his shirt.

The anger in her own eyes dissipated and she slumped to her knees. "I thought you were dead." She choked out before giving a small heave. Tears threatened to fall and almost on instinct he raised his hand up to her face to wipe them away. He stopped just short however, unsure of himself.

Blake gave another choked sob and finally the tears began to roll. Jaune had to mentally kick himself. There wasn't any time for hesitation. His partner needed him right now. "Hey... it's alright." He brought his thumb just next to her eye and wiped the latest tears away, careful to keep his still bloody palm from contacting her face. "I'm alive. You know I'm alive."

There was another brief silence.

"Ruby really misses you." Blake's voice cracked as she got to her feet, pulling her face away from his hand. The action left a small sting in the heart. It was almost like the only physical contact she was willing to tolerate right now was if she was blasting him in the face.

"Yeah?" Despite that, he tried to put some level of joy into his response, at the very least glad she was talking to him instead of yelling. "I miss her too." He even missed Weiss right now. He couldn't wait to see the two of them again. It felt like it had been forever but in truth it had only been a few hours. Constantly fighting for your life could do that to you.

"Shall we g-" Blake's voice was cut off as the headless Grimm behind her lurched to life. Before either of them were capable of reacting, ten heads sprouted from the decapitated sections and one of them grabbed his partner between massive jaws.

"Blake!" Jaune screamed and dove for her just a second too late. The Hydra got to its feet and the head yanked her into the air even as the other nine lunged at him. She let out a horrendous scream and blood flew through the air. The Grimm held her high as if claiming its prize.

He saw red and anger dictated every move. He didn't dare pull away from the heads or retreat to safety while his partner and most important friend was in mortal peril. Instead he charged the revived Hydra with only his bare fists; Crocea Mors still in parts unknown. "Give her back you ugly bastard!" He screamed at the top of his lungs as he dodged and swung viciously at any head that got even close to him, battering some aside and slipping under the others.

He jumped onto the neck of the head that was holding Blake. Swinging himself onto the back, he began to shimmy up. The other heads froze. They couldn't strike him without risking mauling itself. This allowed him to get to the top without resistance. Once there, he pulled his fist back and punched the Hydra directly in the eye.

It let out a roar and began swinging crazily from side to side, letting Blake go as it did. She flew across the cavern and smacked into the wall next to the crack Jaune had originally been running for. He jumped to a crouch while still on the swinging Hydra head and kicked off with all his might, flying over the other heads and landing a couple yards away.

He hit the ground sprinting and without even pausing scooped Blake up and dove for the crack. Just as he did he heard one of the heads smash into the wall where they had been. The Hydra roared and screamed as it tried to find a way to pursue them. He completely ignored it, holding Blake up in the cramped confines of the tiny crevice.

She gave ragged gasps for breath and blood oozed from the numerous wounds caused by the Hydra's teeth. "Blake! Hey, Blake! Talk to me! What can I do? Please, you've gotta be okay!" He placed his palm on her cheek. It was ice cold.

Her scroll was beeping from somewhere and he fumbled for the device to inspect her Aura levels. His heart fell when he saw them. It was empty. There wasn't possibly enough left to heal her and if she didn't get medical attention soon she would die.

Blake was going to die.

No, no! She couldn't die! He absolutely wouldn't let her die! There had to be something he could do! Blake gave a ragged cough and her eyes opened wide enough for him to look into. He could see the pain clearly reflected in them but he also saw a little bit of mirth.

"It's not…" Blake gave another gasp combined with a small chortle. "...such a good feeling... being on that side... is it?" Was this really the pain she felt every time she thought he was going to die? How much pain must she have been in thinking he was actually dead? He didn't even want to fathom it. This hurt far too much as it was.

"I won't let you die, Blake. I promise I won't." He tried to sound determined but even he could hear the desperation in his voice. She was losing blood incredibly quickly and without an Aura it was over.

Aura…

...his Semblance!

"About time you remembered me. I know that reunion of yours was shocking and all, but seriously... being forgotten is no fun." Charlotte was suddenly in the crevice with them, hunched over and looking down at Blake, her crystal blue eyes an exact replica of his own, right down to the distress currently in them.

"Charlotte! That memory power. It healed me, right?" He gestured to the gaping hole in his shirt. "It healed _this_? Right?"

"You can save her, yes. There's still time." She nodded, reaching a hand up and tapping two fingers against the base of his forehead. He didn't feel anything at all, yet her hand stopped like it hit a solid object. It was strange, he couldn't feel it, yet he knew she touched him. How was that? _"Remember, Jaune."_ Her mouth didn't move, but he heard her voice ring out like a bell inside him. _"The happiest moment you and Blake have. Remember that. Draw on it, conceptualize it."_

Happiest? He didn't even know if there was such a memory with Blake he considered... happy. If they weren't fighting for their lives, they weren't doing much of anything. Eating or reading, mostly. Still, if he had to chose a moment, it would without a doubt be that one time. Not that he was sure you could call it happy, per se. Still, his first kiss had been unlike anything he ever experienced. All the adrenaline from surviving up to that moment. Bonding with someone over those two days. It wasn't happy... but more exhilarating.

 _"That one will do, now hurry."_

Blake's eyes rolled back into her head and she went limp in his arms. No, no, no! Please, he needed just a little more time. He didn't care if it emptied his reserves! He just didn't want lose her! She was the last person in the world he wanted to lose! Just please save her!

He didn't know what else to do but focus in on that memory, closing his eyes to picture every fragment of it. The taste of Blake's lips. The smell of sweat and blood that clung to them both. The feel of the sand beneath them. The roar of the Chimera before them. It was like the scene itself came to life. He could see it perfectly now, but the whole scene was glowing in a way it hadn't before.

He sat on the beach again as if he was actually there. Blake sat next to him, completely unharmed. Dirty and worse for wear, sure, but not punctured with Grimm teeth marks. There was a certain glow to her as well and he craned his neck to look at the sky. Lights of red, green, and purple stretched across the vast, starry night. It was just like the Northern Lights in Atlas he had read about, their glow covering everything. _"Aurora."_ The word Charlotte spoke earlier echoed.

He opened his eyes and the cut on either side of his right arm when Shirou stabbed him right through began to glow. The wound opened back up and with his blood, the same light from in the memory came forth.

He waited with baited breath for something to happen, yet to his annoyance the light just hovered in place, like ribbons fluttering the wind. He tried to force them to move but got nothing. "How does this thing work?" Time was ticking and Blake was still dying.

"Don't force it to do something." Charlotte chided, her tone still somehow able to carry with it urgency but remaining soft. "Aurora- it's not like a tool or a weapon. It's born from memories so it has thoughts and feelings just like you and I. Ask it for help, and it probably will."

Probably!?

He almost shouted, but didn't bother wasting his breath or time. Instead he just did as instructed and beseeched the Aurora pouring from his would to save his partner. To save his friend. The ribbons suddenly sprung forth as if alive - which according to Charlotte, they were - writhing, bending and twisting as they elongated and drifted towards Blake. They grazed against her gently, as if probing for the wounds. One at a time, the ribbon found the deep teeth-marks left by the Hydra. Once it did, the ribbon would split from itself, leaving a copy behind while it searched for another.

After what felt like forever, it found them all.

Blake was still drenched in blood and the holes in her clothes were there. However, the wounds were clearly gone. She had been completely healed! It had... it had really worked. Her chest gently rose and fell as her breathing returned to normal and was no longer ragged. As gently as he could he lowered her to the ground. The glowing water here wasn't any deeper than outside of their small crevice and even on her back she wasn't completely submerged.

The Hydra was still roaring wildly outside but he chose to ignore it for a while longer as he washed the blood off of Blake and dyed the water purple once again. Blake's clothes were littered in holes, a couple of them right around her chest, and when he washed away the blood he had to avert his eyes in embarrassment as her creamy, pale skin was revealed.

"That was amazing." He said aloud, not that Blake was conscious enough to hear him, he didn't think.

"Aurora can be." Charlotte agreed before her voice took on a sudden edge. "It can also be very frightening."

Jaune turned to see a flash of the Hydra scales, the creature still trying to get in. He understood her intent clearly. "I can use it to kill that thing?"

"You can."

"Good." He was going to make it pay for what it did to Blake. "How?"

"Same as before, only this time you need a powerful memory directing your anger at it." Charlotte gave him a lopsided grin. "Say, one of it hurting your best friend?"

That wasn't something he ever wanted to remember and even the thought of it made his blood boil. Which appeared to affect the Aurora as well, the ribbons twisting as if angry. He focused in on the memory, recalling with perfect detail the fear and helplessness that overwhelmed him as the Hydra lifted Blake away and threatened to steal her forever. The raw, seething heat that caused to fester in his gut was unimaginable.

The Aurora which had mostly consisted of greens and purple before was suddenly very red, leaving only fragments of the other two colors, and felt hot against his skin. It wasn't a terrible heat, however, but rather comforting. It made him feel strong. Confident.

Suddenly, he no longer had any questions what it was he needed to do. It was like he could feel the Aurora itself speaking to him, guiding him and his movements. He lifted his wounded arm and held it out, hand hanging limb and fingers curled. The glowing ribbons convulsed violently, straightening into a hard edge and lunging forward like spears. The hissing from the Hydra changed, transforming from rage and frustration to agony and fear. It had no idea what had just happened.

Jaune walked towards exit, slipping out and rising to full height on the outside. The Hydra had at least enough sense to retreat. Twenty red eyes narrowed at him and the glowing energy hanging off his arm.

"You need to hurry and finish it, Jaune." Charlotte appeared next to him, her eyes looking down at the base of where the Aurora was coming from. He followed her gaze just in time for a wave of light-headedness to hit him like a freight train. The wound. It was still bleeding. Using Aurora was causing him to bleed out. "Aurora can only exit from open wounds. It is much more limited than Aura in that way."

"How am I supposed to kill this thing then?" It already had ten heads and if he cut one off, two more would take its place. How did you kill something that just kept coming back stronger than before on a limited timeframe? His confidence was starting to vanish now that he knew he was fighting on a ticking clock. The Hydra wasn't his only opponent. It was also his own body he had to hold out to. Not like he could just give up either. This thing had hurt Blake and he was going to make it pay one-hundred fold for that. The Aurora glowed as if in agreement.

The Hydra seemed to realize that it had nothing to fear from him, taking two lumbering steps forward that shook the cave and sloshed water against the walls. The ten heads rose up and hung menacingly in the air, its eyes looking down at him as if he was already nothing more than a bloody stain on the wall. Which if he didn't come up with a better way to fight back, he might be.

"You don't have to come up with anything. Let the Aurora give the Hydra a taste of its own medicine. You already gave it the memory to fight with." That was all well and good, but he really wished the Aurora strands would act already then. It knew it was killing him, right? Surely it didn't want to let him die, considering if he went it did too.

The Hydra let out ten simultaneous hisses, their noise merging together like a symphony from Hell. It then charged, which meant only taking about three leaping stomps before the heads were within range to descend upon him. Jaune started to take a step back when Charlotte's voice cut through him on the inside and out. "Don't retreat! Let your Aurora handle it."

He would really like to hear her say that if she was alive and had a giant Grimm right in front of her. Still, the commanding order in her tone was enough for his body to listen and lock up, despite the warning signals his brain was sending. The unusual glow on his arm shone more brightly before two streaks bent and curved away from him in a jagged pattern and merging together just between him and lunging heads. They created a pulsing orb upon mixing and the moment a single head struck, the orb exploded outwards in a shimmering wall of green, red, and purple that effortlessly repelled all of them, staggering the massive Grimm in the process.

That didn't seem to deter the nightmarish creature at all and it was only a second before it leapt back in for another round. Jaune didn't need Charlotte's encouragement again to stand his ground. The Aurora surged to life to protect him. The shimmering energy once more streaked out in a jagged line to meet the Hydra head on. When the streaks merged together, they formed a massive pool of energy that contorted into what appeared to him as a giant beast's head.

The Aurora Beast sprung forward and around like a massive cobra, biting down into the back of the Grimm. It let out a scream and blood flew out from the wound created by the Aurora Beast's bite. In what could have only been desperation, it lifted one of its clawed feet, kicking at the stretching neck of the Aurora Beast, successfully destroying it and causing the head to fade from existence.

Instead of using the opening to charge, it retreated.

The Aurora in front of him continued to dance, twisting and splitting into fragments that grew in size before forming maws of their own. Individually they were only about half the size of each head of the Hydra's and it still outnumbered his forces two to one. The heads extended towards the Hydra anyways, growing in length rapidly. As they got longer they formed multiple joints each time they twisted, turned, and bent.

What followed was a gruesome show of carnage that was almost unbearable to watch. The numerous heads from both sides collided in a series of echoing snaps, hisses, and screeching. The teeth of the Aurora Beasts sunk into the Hydra's flesh and pulled out full hunks of it at a time. Loud tearing noises followed by fountains of blood as the black meat was pulled free from the Grimm's bones nearly caused him to retch.

His Aurora knew from the memory he had provided not to cut off the heads completely. So instead it ripped off hunks here and there from the necks, one of the Beasts tearing a jugular clean out. Clean wasn't the correct word. It was messy and disgusting. That head of the Hydra fell limp, dangling like a broken arm might have.

The Hydra wasn't as intelligent. With increasingly ferocity, it tried to rip the Aurora Beasts away from the base connect to his arm. For every head they ripped off, the Beasts would sprout two more in perfect mimicry of the memory where the Hydra had done the same. The Grimm was quickly outnumbered and three more necks went limp.

The remaining heads of the Grimm gave a weakened roar and it was no longer capable of fighting back. The skin around its knees and ankles ripped away too, it collapsed to the ground where it gave a final whimper of pain.

That should have been enough. The Grimm was beyond saving anymore. It would die even if he left it alone. If Jaune or Charlotte had been in control, they would have moved on already. However, that wasn't the principle by which Aurora worked. It acted to save and protect them... and by a will of its own it sought to finish out that task with the utmost efficiency and brutality. That was the type of power that it was.

So even with the Grimm dying on the ground, the Aurora Beasts didn't stop. They descended upon it, continuing to tear it apart. They spat flesh, bones, and blood in every direction and caused it to rain down upon the glowing river. Finally, the Grimm ceased any breathing and died. Only remnants of its former monstrous self were left. It was amazing it had survived as long as it had, a true testament to its overwhelming power and tenacity.

With the task accomplished, the Aurora beasts shrunk back to his forearm where it shimmered for another several seconds. Then it just melted away, blinking out like a firefly's light. Left in its place was the reopened gash on either side of his arm that was now bleeding profusely. It should've hurt, in fact, he knew it did hurt. But after watching the torture that Grimm had been put through he couldn't bring himself to complain about the pain.

It just felt insignificant in comparison.

He had been so angry at it for what it did to Blake. Yet he hadn't wished that on it. Nothing, not even a creature of Grimm deserved something like that. The thing was, he had given it that memory to work with, the one of it trying to tear Blake apart. So that was what Charlotte had meant. He understood now.

"Seal the wound, Jaune." Charlotte whispered into his ear, her hands hovering over the two bleeding gashs on his forearm.

"Huh?" He looked down and only then registered the fact that he was still bleeding out. "Oh, right."

"It's scary... I know." Charlotte tried to smile, but it just didn't have any strength to it. "That such a power can come from a memory you have. That's why you have to be careful with what you draw on. Use the wrong memory and it could come back on you." He thought about asking if she had ever made that mistake before brutally crushing the thought. He didn't want to know.

" _What_ did you just _do_?" Both blondes started at the unexpected voice. They turned to see Blake standing there, having only just emerged from the crevice and staring with wide yellow eyes at the carnage in front of them. How much had she seen? All of it? Just the end? It was hard to tell which would be worse.

"I-uhh..." He looked at Charlotte who only shrugged, just as much at a loss as he. "I discovered my Semblance?" His voice raised an octave at the end, giving the impression he was asking the question rather than answering one.

Blake blinked. That was all she did. It was probably all she was able to do.

"I don't really get how it works either." Jaune chuckled awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head. He flinched when his fingers brushed over the wound from the rock that had previously knocked him out. "Charlotte can explain it better than I. Why don't you try and catch her up?" He hiked a thumb at his fellow blonde and gestured for her to take over. Instead of saying anything, Charlotte was looking at him with suddenly wide blue eyes and shaking her head vigorously back and forth. "What? What's wrong?" He didn't get it.

"Jaune... how hard did that rock hit your head?" Blake was next to him now, bending his head over to inspect the injury.

"Ow- knock it off!" He knocked her hands away and pulled his head back, holding his hands around the still sore spot. "It's fine, okay? What's wrong with you?"

"What's wrong with _me_?" She pointed at herself and then gestured vaguely around the cavern. "You're talking to people that aren't there. It's just you and me, Jaune."

"...What?" He didn't get it. Once again he looked back to Charlotte for answers and this time it was she who wouldn't meet his gaze, staring aimlessly at some spot between the both of them.

"Blake cannot see me." She practically sighed while saying this. "I told you earlier, but I'm just a memory. A by-product of Arc Link."

"Oh..." He clamped his mouth shut when Blake gave him another curious look, her eyes trying to follow his line of sight but of course seeing nothing. Just an empty cave. He was the only one that could see Charlotte. The only one who would ever be able to see Charlotte.

 _"I'm sorry."_ He pushed that thought through mentally, just like she had been doing, hoping she would get it.

"It's okay." Charlotte gave him another lackluster smile. To him it was still radiant. "Even having just one person that can remember me is infinity better than the empty loneliness that came from being forgotten. You're doing more for me than you could ever know just by acknowledging my existence. For that reason, I will do everything in my power to help you, what little that may be."

 _"Thank you."_ He wanted to reach out to her. Right now and first, he had other things to take care of. So instead he turned back to Blake who looked more concerned than ever. "I'll try and explain later. Right now, I've got a new Semblance and if I'm guessing right, there's a crazy headmaster somewhere that needs his ass kicked."

The mention of the one that put them all in this predicament was enough to get Blake to perk up and put aside whatever concerns she had for his mental health as a sinister smirk spread across her face. "You can use that power against him?" Jaune glanced at Charlotte and she nodded.

He smirked back. "Oh yeah, I can use it against him alright."

Shirou Schnee had better watch out.

Because Jaune Arc was ready for round two.

* * *

 **Chapter End**

* * *

 **AN:** Charlotte and Aurora.

I based Charlotte's appearance on Ruler (Jeanne D'Arc) from the Fate series. Seemed appropriate since Jaune is also based on her. I don't remember why I ended up naming her what I did. I'm sure it's relevant, somehow.

Aurora was based on the ability Tennouji Kotarou has in the series Rewrite (It actually has an anime now and is not just a visual novel), but it ended up having many different characteristics.

Next time, the battle against Shirou continues.


	11. Alive

Coeur Al'Aran was the beta for the original Auburn and helped me immensely during a period when we were both just getting started. Cover Art drawn by confections101 and a link to it is on my profile page. Jefardi is the one who finally kicked my butt into gear to do something about this story I had almost given up on.

* * *

 **Auburn**

 _Alive_

* * *

Ruby didn't even bother to wait for the others to join before she charged Shirou Schnee. She didn't care how she had to do it, she was going to make him pay for what he did to Jaune.

"Ruby, wait!" It wasn't so much that she ignored Weiss' screams of protest so much as it didn't even register. Her Semblance had already activated and she appeared in the air behind the headmaster.

Crescent Rose whirled and swung in a downward arc. Shirou didn't even turn around. He merely stepped to the side and she stumbled from his unexpected dodge. Years of training kicked in and she spun the scythe backwards to maintain her balance and switched from swinging at him vertically to horizontally.

The katana came up intercept and the Dust dial landed on the red canister. Their weapons clashed and an explosion resulted in Crescent Rose being knocked back. In the same motion, Shirou's attack continued and switched to the green dial. She raised her scythe and blocked the strike with the long shaft. Almost immediately, the weapon's weight doubled and her knees buckled.

While his sword was still making contact with Crescent Rose, Shirou's upper body twisted unnaturally and his elbow stuck out, catching Ruby in the side of the face. Her head jarred painfully to the side and vision flashed white. Before she was capable of recovering, he stepped within her guard and kicked her in the back of the ankle. Her whole world flipped upside down as she spiraled through the air.

She landed smack on her back and let out a horrid cry. When her vision returned, the katana was flying right for her neck. Halfway towards its goal and a white glyph appeared. The katana slammed into it, unleashing another explosion upon impact that rebounded upwards as Weiss' glyph held strong. Shirou's already wide grin grew wider as his attention turned from her to Weiss. "You've been improving considerably since we last spared, my little niece."

She didn't even respond as her sword blasted a bolt of lightning. Shirou's katana switched to his own yellow Dust dial with impossible speed and blocked the lightning. The bolt went flying in a completely different direction where it struck the wall of the canyon and caused a large section of it to splinter apart.

Ruby took the opportunity to roll away and no sooner did she do so than Nora entered into the fray from directly above. "Take this!" Nora whooped as she slammed Magnhild down.

Shirou jumped backwards and easily dodged, Nora's hammer slamming nothing but ground. A pink explosion sent pieces of rock in every direction and caused the whole pillar to buck and teeter. She immediately ran around the explosion and gave chase. "Nora!" Ren landed behind the headmaster and raised Stormflower, pulling the trigger. The dial of the katana landed on bright blue and he waved it behind him, creating a wall of ice that shielded him from the barrage of bullets.

"You okay?" Ruby's attention was torn away from the battle as Weiss jogged up with a concerned scowl.

"I-I'm fine." The younger girl mumbled in embarrassment as she attempted to get back to her feet. She only managed to get to her knees before Weiss grabbed her by the elbow and helped her the rest of the way up.

"We need to attack him together, you dolt." Her tone was firm but not harsh and Ruby found she couldn't bring herself to look at her partner out of shame. She had charged in head first, determined to make Shirou pay, and she had been bested and nearly killed in as few as three moves. "Are you even listening to me?"

"Ah!" Ruby gave a startled cry when Weiss pinched her forearm. "I'm listening, I swear I'm listening!" She nodded vigorously and finally turned to her partner.

"Good." Weiss nodded as she placed her hands on her hips and shifted her gaze back to her uncle. Ruby followed her to see Nora destroy Shirou's wall of ice. He was retreating while Nora kept charging him with close ranged combat and Ren supplied her with cover fire. The two of them were incredible! They were actually forcing him backwards without giving him any room to counter.

"We're going to support Ren with ranged fire. Valkyrie's hammer is our best possible shot at destroying his scroll simply because she doesn't need to land a direct hit. This whole thing depends on us being able to back my uncle into a corner so she can finish this." Weiss raised Myrtenaster up and switched the dial to her light-blue Dust.

"Ice Flower then?" Despite the fact that Ruby had her doubts about this plan she decided not to argue and instead go along with it. She had blundered once already by charging in head first. She just really hoped Nora was capable of handling Shirou with nothing but covering fire for support.

"That's a good suggestion." Weiss apparently didn't share any of her doubts as she created an ice glyph directly in front of them. Ruby hesitated another second. Should she really not say anything? Weiss knew her uncle better than she did but Ruby had never been tossed around that effortlessly before in her life, not while she had her scythe in hand anyways. She just didn't feel comfortable letting Nora fight in close combat by herself. "What're you waiting for?"

Weiss's words spurred her into action despite herself and she mounted the blade of Crescent Rose into the ground. Readying the bolt-action rifle, she aimed the barrel at Shirou while being careful to keep it within Weiss' glyph. It was difficult to get a clear shot as he continued to dance around all over the place while dodging Nora's hammer and Ren's gunfire.

Finally, he paused and she fired several shots, each one echoing with a loud bang across the canyon. The shots passed through Weiss' glyph and turned bright blue as they were filled with the energy from the ice Dust.

Shirou glanced sideways and Ruby could almost swear she saw him smirk. He skipped backwards and dodged her first couple shots and they struck the ground, creating spikes of ice each time and limiting the amount of area he could flee.

Her eyes narrowed and she continued to fire, her and Ren continuing to push him into a corner with their combined gunfire. Finally he landed just shy of the edge of the pillar and his sword created a wall of ice, effectively trapping him but at the same time protecting him from their barrage.

"Valkyrie, now! Knock him off the ledge if you have to!" Weiss commanded.

"Ma'am, yes Ma'am!" Nora sprinted for the wall of ice and raised her hammer. When it came down there was another pink explosion that rocked the pillar and sent shards of ice flying as the smoke billowed, completely obscuring their view.

Weiss let out a sigh of relief and Ruby could actually see her visibly relax as silence settled over the area. If Ruby didn't know any better… she would say her partner had been afraid, terrified even. Was that why she hadn't even once engaged Shirou in actual physical combat? Even when she had saved her, she had done it with a glyph.

"My, my, my. That was quite the idea you came up with, little niece." Weiss' shoulders went rigid, Shirou's mirthful tone calling from within the crystalized smoke. "It's too bad that you made it painfully obvious what you were attempting."

Ruby's eyes flung to the source and widened in shock as Shirou calmly strolled from the smoke. He held Nora by the throat and had her hoisted above his head, her feet dangling a solid foot off the ground. She was weakly grabbing at his arm, only a small gurgling noise managing to escape her mouth, her hammer lay on the floor just behind him.

"Nora!" Ren and Ruby called simultaneously and raised their weapons to fire.

"Nuh, uh, uh." Shirou shook his head turned her just enough to obscure Ruby's view. "You wouldn't want me to use poor Miss Nora as a meat-shield, now would you?" Ruby scowled and lowered Crescent Rose. He was right of course, she couldn't risk hurting Nora.

"W-what are you going to do with her?" Weiss took an uneasy half-step forward and this time Ruby could see the actual fear in her eyes mixed with the uncertainty. She really had no idea what it was that her uncle might do to their teammate.

"Hmm... decisions, decisions." Shirou tapped his sword on the ground, making a loud shrill _tink_ each time. Ruby felt disgust well in her stomach and could almost feel the urge to vomit at the gleeful way he spoke as he got seconds closer to suffocating her. "I could always just stab her in the heart. Make her death nice and quick. I was going to do that to Mister Arc earlier, but unfortunately the other students voted that idea down."

"Just let her go!" Weiss' voiced cracked as it turned pleading and she took another step forward, hand extended. Ruby could do nothing but look back and forth between the two of them.

Ren, meanwhile, stood completely still, his emotions almost apparently in check. Didn't he care that about his partner? Weren't they childhood friends? If no one else was going to do something then it was up to her. "Why are you doing this to us? This isn't how Huntsmen are supposed to act! Don't you feel anything?"

Shirou let out a chuckle that caused Ruby's very skin to crawl. "You glorify the idea of Huntsmen far too much. You think their life is all about honor and chivalry? It's anything but that and I've got news for you; you signed up for this life. I'm doing you all a favor by showing you just how brutal this job really is."

Nora's hands slipped from Shirou's arm and fell to her sides as she lost the strength to struggle. "Well, I guess time's up. It's a shame, I really liked this girl too." The dial on his katana switched to the red canister and he finally released Nora's neck.

Before she even hit the ground, he flipped his sword and swung it, catching her with the blunt end. Upon impact a cone-shaped explosion enveloped Nora and she was sent rocketing off the pillar and towards where Sun and the wounded were, her body leaving a trail of smoke as she travelled.

"Nora!" Ruby flinched as someone roared her name so loudly it overshadowed the noise of the explosion.

She didn't even recognize the voice until she saw Ren close the gap between himself and Shirou at speeds even she wasn't capable without her Semblance. His magenta eyes were alight with rage so fierce that Ruby didn't even think the stoic boy was capable of. She felt bad for even questioning if he cared for his partner before now.

He swung both parts of Stormflower and they collided with Shirou's sword, creating an explosion that formed away from both of them. The katana was battered aside from the strength of Ren's blow and before he even fully recovered, the younger man pivot on one foot and brought his other leg high in a spinning kick.

Shirou blocked the strike with his forearm but grimaced and stumbled back. Ren had... he had overpowered him in a physical exchange! "Weiss- We have to help him! We can still gain the upper hand!"

Nora could still be okay, she had to be. Sun and Neptune already leaning over her. It was up to them to defeat Shirou now for her and for Jaune.

She took a couple running steps towards the two fighting men but paused when she didn't her partner join. She turned back around to see Weiss still standing completely still, her eyes staring straight ahead, but clearly not seeing anything that was happening.

"Weiss!" Ruby ran back to her and grabbed her hand, startling her back into reality. She glanced down at the younger girl and then she glanced past her to where Ren and Shirou were still battling. "Help us fight him." She pleaded. "I know you're scared, but-"

"W-who says I'm scared of him?" Weiss recoiled indignantly and the denial shown in her eyes.

"Then prove it Weiss. Help me. Help Ren. Or did you forget what he did to Jaune?" She felt bad for pushing her partner like this but she needed her right now. Without her, they didn't stand a chance against Shirou.

"I didn't forget... it's just that…" Weiss' eyes darted back and forth as she tried to think up an excuse. Ruby was hardly a patient person and her partner's indecision was starting to annoy even her. She had never imagined a situation like this where it would be her getting frustrated with her. It was always the other way around.

"I'm going." She declared, cutting off Weiss' excuse. "If you aren't going to help then you should just get off this pillar. Ren and I will handle this until Blake comes back." Without waiting to see how she would respond, Ruby turned around and activated her Semblance.

She appeared next to Ren and right in front of Shirou, already swinging Crescent Rose down. The headmaster jumped back to dodge her swing instead of countering like he had before. Neither student pursued and instead Ren raised Stormflower. Gunfire erupted from both guns.

Shirou created another wall of ice to shield himself and Ruby utilized her Semblance once again to sprint around the wall to the left. She stopped hard and spun Crescent Rose from a low angle. The katana was already up and blocked it. Electricity surged through her body and she saw he was once again using the yellow Dust canister. How was he able to switch between those so quickly? Her body locked up, muscles convulsing and going numb from the electric shock.

Ren ran around the other side of the wall just behind Shirou, Stormflower already in position to shoot him at point-blank range. Shirou's katana switched to the dark blue canister and he had already spun around while swinging his sword overhead before Ren had even appeared.

His magenta eyes widened in shock and Ruby saw his Aura activate as it began to shield him. The katana met his Aura shield and it seemed to just phase through the Aura like it wasn't even there. He could do nothing as the katana cut into his left shoulder and gouged a deep wound all the way down to his hip.

"Ren!" Ruby screamed in horror. She could only watch as he coughed blood and slipped to his knees. That shouldn't have been possible. Ren's Aura did nothing to protect him. The only thing that made sense was that the dark blue canister was filled with Anti-Aura Dust. It was supposed to be incredibly valuable and hard to acquire... but then again, if anyone could get their hands on it, it would be a Schnee.

If she wasn't still stunned from the shock his sword had given her earlier she would've used her Semblance to dash away. Instead she could do nothing as Shirou turned back towards her, smug expression on his face. He had seen through every move they were going to make. No matter what they had tried he was always one step ahead. It was stupid that they even thought they ever had a chance.

Shirou stepped forward and raised his katana to point directly at her throat. She was going to die. If his sword was really flowing with Anti-Aura energy right now he would cut through her without resistance. Her eyes locked onto Ren's as he slowly began to fall backwards. She could see all the anger and frustration now combined with regret at not being able to avenge his partner.

She wasn't going to let it end like this. Shirou stabbed and her convulsing muscles screamed in protest, but she managed to swing Crescent Rose high enough to block the strike. She stumbled back, but by some miracle managed to keep her footing.

"You certainly are a tenacious one." He looked down on her with crystal-blue eyes. She despised the look in them. They were filled with hatred, hatred at the entire world around him. She finally understood exactly what kind of a person he was. Life had clearly done something cruel to him and in turn he was determined to make life cruel for others. She hated that kind of thinking. It was because life was cruel that people needed to be there for each other! This was why she wanted to become a Huntress. She would never accept him as a Huntsmen. He was not the ideal she was striving for.

"I'm not going to lose to someone like you. Huntsmen have a duty to protect people." She declared as strongly as she could. Feeling was returning to her body again as the numbness faded. She just needed a couple more seconds and she would be fighting capable again.

Shirou let out a snort. "Keep spouting lines like that and you'll end up exactly like Mister Arc in short order."

Anger surged through her body at his words and she raised Crescent Rose in preparation to charge. The moment before she could and Weiss called out. "Ruby, you dolt! Don't take his bait!"

A glyph appeared directly above Shirou's head and Weiss jumped over the ice wall and landed on it upside-down. She pointed Myrtenaster at the top of his head and lunged. He skipped backwards and she slammed into the ground, burying her rapier halfway into the hard rock surface.

"Weiss!" Ruby couldn't believe it, she had actually jumped into the fray herself. The Heiress turned to her and she gave an apologetic but determined smile.

"Get Lie Ren out of here. I'll hold my uncle off long enough for you to come back." She charged at him not even a moment later. Ruby almost ran after her. She knew how hard it was to fight him on your own, but she also knew Ren needed immediate assistance. He had collapsed and was now unconscious, blood flowing freely from the large, gaping wound. The young girl burst into roses as she grabbed him and took the wounded boy to safety.

She would make this quick.

She wouldn't leave her partner alone for long.

* * *

Weiss did her best to calm her erratic breathing as she faced her uncle one on one. Myrtenaster trembled in her grip and she fumbled with the dial on the hilt.

"You're looking kind of sickly there, dear niece." He chatted amicably, causing her eyes to narrow. "Maybe I should take your temperature? Would hate to have you come down with a cold." Unlike her, he stood completely relaxed and the katana hung limply at his side. She knew better than to think he was full of openings. It was when he took that stance that he was at his most dangerous. His eyes could already see everything she could possibly do before she would even do it.

If she had any chance of defeating him she was going to have to overwhelm him with the sheer versatility of her rapier. The only problem with that was his sword was equally versatile. Add to that he had years of physical combat experience on her combined with his unfair Semblance.

"If you aren't going to entertain my witty banter with anything more than a glare then I'm assuming you mean to actually fight me. In which case, I would be more than happy to make the first move. It's not like this is a practice spar from the old days, this is a real life and death battle." He took a step towards her. Weiss' eyes widened and she had to keep her mouth clamped shut lest she let out an undignified shriek.

Myrtenaster thrust forward and a red Glyph formed directly in front of Shirou's path. A pillar of fire rose and she flinched internally at the blunder. She had used the wrong Dust canister and had unintentionally pumped too much Aura into it, wasting her valuable resources.

To further her chagrin, the pillar of fire was almost immediately encased in ice that was then shattered by Shirou's katana. Not only had it been a waste, it had been completely worthless in so much as hindering him.

"You're not even going to be fun to fight if you don't put up a better struggle than that." Her uncle sighed and she could almost feel his disappointment wash over her. It wasn't even disappointment at her, but at the simple fact that she wasn't going to amuse him like this. "Hopefully your partner comes back quickly. I was really looking forward to breaking her."

Her body reacted before her brain had even fully processed what he said and she lunged at him, flame Dust enveloping her blade. Shirou's smirk returned and he blocked her thrust, ice Dust cancelling out her fire and the two weapons merely clanged loudly off one another.

Weiss glowered daggers at him as she stepped to the side and thrust at him from his right. His katana swung from below and knocked her sword upwards. She immediately activated a Glyph above her hand that forced her sword to thrust at his eye.

He tilted his head to the side and her strike sailed over his shoulder. He was now completely within her guard and his sword swung at her midsection. Another Glyph appeared and blocked his slash.

They both then jumped backwards before stepping forward, her in another thrust aimed at his heart and his aiming to knock her rapier aside.

She anticipated such an action and just before his sword met hers she created another Glyph directly between them. His sword struck the glyph and she smirked victoriously as her rapier continued on uninterrupted.

At least it should have but ice sprout from the edge of Shirou's blade and wrapped around the Glyph. It latched onto her sword, halting it. She growled in frustration and pumped more flame Dust into her sword to melt the ice and immediately drew back.

She created a Glyph that launched her backwards and she landed a couple feet away. Her uncle didn't bother to press his advantage like she had expected and instead he remained where he was. Same stupid grin on his face. It infuriated her to see it.

"What?" She snapped at him.

Shirou chuckled and waved a hand dismissively. "Oh nothing. I just don't think I've ever seen you react so strongly before. Has my little niece finally found someone she cares about besides her big sister?"

"Shut up!" Her grip on her sword tightened so much she could feel the blood flow to her fingers cease to circulate.

"I wonder if that love extends to your other teammates? Does it just eat you up inside to know that because of me your precious leader died?" If he appeared amused before he looked to be having an absolute riot now. Red crept in from the edge of her vision and an angry buzzing began to fill her ears.

Shirou chuckled and talked over the incessant noise in her head. "If you end up surviving this, I could probably arrange it so you got made the leader. I bet you would just love that. You probably thought of him as pretty useless anyways, knowing you."

"You're wrong…" Weiss mumbled under her breath.

"I'm sorry." Shirou extended his head forward and cupped a hand over his ear. "I didn't catch that."

"You're wrong!" She bellowed and created a red Glyph in front of her that immediately launched half a dozen fireballs from it. Once again, Shirou created a wall of ice that intercepted the flaming orbs before melting to a puddle at his feet. "What do you know about how I feel? I haven't seen you in years!"

He didn't know anything at all. Jaune Arc... he was anything but useless. He was someone she respected. Her eyes widened slightly when she realized she actually meant that thought. That blundering, blond idiot had earned her respect. Why was it she didn't realize that until after he had already fallen to his death? Why was it her Uncle of all people that made her realize it to begin with?

"Hang on, Weiss!" Ruby bounded across the gap and landed next to her. "Sorry I'm late, I was checking on-" Ruby's words died in her mouth as she stared at Weiss' face so intently she wondered if there was something amiss. Had her uncle landed a cut without her noticing? "Weiss… are you crying?"

Huh? She didn't understand. What was Ruby talking about? Her hand darted up to her face and she felt something wet just below her eyes. She pulled her hand back but didn't see any red. Was she really... crying? And for Jaune of all people?

Ruby's confusion turned to wrath as she spun on Shirou. "What did you say to her?"

"I'm hurt that you assume it was me." Shirou placed a hand on his heart in mock-pain.

"Who else would it have been?" She unhooked Crescent Rose and unleashed several Dust rounds. As each one reached him he cut them in half with a simple swing of his katana.

"Ruby, enough." Weiss rubbed her eyes dry and placed a hand on her shoulder. She just remembered the most important thing about all this. Her uncle was a master at weaving words to make people angry. It was how he fought. It was what amused him the most. If they were going to have a chance against him they needed to remain calm.

Who was she kidding? She couldn't even look at him without trembling in either fear or anger. And Ruby? She let her emotions dictate everything she did. Calm was pretty decisively out the window. That really only left one option. They needed to be faster than he was. If she combined her Glyphs with Ruby's Semblance they might just have a chance.

She held a hand to her mouth so her uncle wouldn't see what she was saying." Ruby, I'm going to charge in first. Once I give you the signal, I need you to charge at him with all you got. We're putting this all on one hit." Weiss bit her lip before she continued, unsure if she really wanted to say the next line. Ruby was nodding along to the plan so far. She sighed in resignation. "No matter what happens. Don't charge until I give the signal."

Ruby gave her a nervous glance. "W-what do you think is going to happen?"

Silently, she turned away from her partner. She would honestly rather not think about it. "Hopefully, nothing." She raised Myrtenaster to eye-level and sprinted forward. She moved with such speed she appeared to just glide across the surface and closed the distance between her and her uncle in only a second.

"You're really going to try this again?" Shirou stepped to the side as she thrust forward. She sailed past him and stopped hard. His katana swung at her exposed back and she ducked under the strike. While still doubled over, she twirled Myrtenaster around so it was pointed backwards and stabbed behind her.

Her strike flew towards his pelvis and he was forced to twist out of the way to avoid it in time. She spun on her heels and tilted her rapier towards him once more and thrust at his chin. His katana swung down and intercepted the strike, knocking both of their swords aside.

Just after this exchange, she felt the Aura that she had been previously melding reach its potential. She was ready to put her plan into action. Her dial switched to the white canister and she tilted her sword so it was pointed straight up. A dome of small Glyphs surrounded Shirou and herself.

A Glyph formed beneath her feet and launched her upwards. She flipped in the air and landed in a crouch on one of the Glyphs above. Energy flowed into her from the glyph and with more power than before she thrust and towards her uncle. He bent sideways and barely managed to dodge her as she passed by. But she was just beginning. She flipped and landed on another Glyph in the dome, the same thing happening as before, that Glyph sending her flying back towards the centre.

Shirou raised his katana and she grazed the blade. She landed on yet another Glyph and grinned when she spun around to see he had lost sight of her. With each successive kick-off she was gaining momentum and he was beginning to lose track of her now. She kicked off and he turned around just in time to block.

When she landed on the next Glyph she finally realized something was wrong. While it was true she was gaining velocity her sword was starting to feel like a lead block in her hand. Her eyes widened as they locked on Shirou's Dust canister and saw it was set to green. He was using density Dust to weigh her down!

It was too late to stop now. She grit her teeth in irritation as her Glyph ejected her back towards him. He smirked widely and she knew he had her right where he wanted her all along. Their swords clashed, doubling the weight of hers. With so much added density she began to sink. Before she was able to fly past he grabbed her by the back of the neck.

She was helpless to do anything as he forced her head down and smashed her face-first into the hard rock at their feet. Her vision flashed white and red as she struggled to maintain consciousness and still hold onto Myrtenaster. Legs flailed haplessly behind as she tried to return to a standing position and her right hand attempted to push herself off the ground. Her uncle continued to push down on her neck, keeping her from doing either. "I do kind of regret doing this. Just felt like you should know."

"L-liar!" Weiss growled and glared at his feet out of the corner of her eyes. Most of her vision was obscured by the earth but it didn't actually matter anymore. "You're enjoying this."

"Maybe a little." He thought he had won. She was about to show him not to underestimate her. He didn't know that just outside the dome of Glyphs she had placed a trail of more Glyphs leading right to them starting at Ruby. If she combined her Semblance with the boost from them she would undoubtedly be too fast for even him to block. Even better, he was using one arm to pin her while he kneeled on the ground.

"Ruby, now!" She screamed at the top of her lungs. She couldn't see her partner but she heard her Semblance as it activated. Not even tenths of a second later she heard her scythe arching through the air, aiming to dismember her uncle. She didn't feel the least bit guilty about the fact that they were about to permanently maim and put an end to his career. Maybe he would think twice before being a pompous jerk next time.

Her thoughts of victory were cruelly shattered as Ruby let out a cry of anguish, the young girl collapsing to a heap in front of Weiss' vision. The momentum from the attack continued to carry her forward and she tumbled and rolled another couple yards before finally skidding to a stop just short of the edge of the pillar. Crescent Rose clattered and landed next to her and she immediately began struggling to her feet. Her silver eyes locked with Weiss' and she could see the shame she felt at having not been able to fulfill her role.

Weiss wanted to call out to her and tell her not to feel ashamed. Ruby had performed her part splendidly but her uncle was simply just too far skilled for either of them. She couldn't call out to her though a combination of immense pain she was feeling and the simple fact that she was practically eating the dirt beneath her right now.

"I think you underestimate Prediction Line just a little too much." Shirou lifted her face off the earth and tilted her head back so she could look into his eyes. As always, the pure hatred she saw in them frightened her to the core. "You really think I wouldn't see Miss Ruby well before she even appeared? I mean, did you honestly believe I placed you exactly in this spot by coincidence? You didn't think it might have been because it was the perfect place for me to strike her with my hilt before she could so much as swing at me? I barely had to even move. Her own momentum caused most of the damage. Just look at her."

He tilted her head towards Ruby and she saw her partner collapse back to the ground before giving a small heave and throwing up the contents of her stomach. Damn it all. She felt self-disgust well up in her stomach as she looked at the sorry state her plan had put the poor young girl in. She had been far too stupid to think any plan she thought of had a chance of besting him.

"Well, at least you made this entertaining." Shirou sighed dejectedly and before Weiss could prepare herself he slammed her face back into the ground. She groaned into the earth as he finally released her neck and got back to his feet. She didn't have the strength to even try to move. Her Aura had protected her from some of the damage but that did little to mitigate the dazed feeling she got from being slammed twice into the ground.

"Don't worry, I won't kill you. Still, I'm afraid I'm going to have to put you out at least until morning." Shirou switched the dial to the Anti-Aura Dust. "Can't have you trying to interfere any further." She tried to glare back up at him but she couldn't raise her gaze above his knees. "I will have fun breaking your partner while you're out." Weiss froze at his words. "The young optimistic ones are always the most fun to watch as they slowly give into despair. It's too bad you won't be awake to watch it happen."

"...Uncle!" Now he was going too far! If he thought she was going to just stay down while he tormented her partner and friend than he had another thing coming. She would never allow him to do it. Despite barely being able to move, her hand reached forward and grasped the cuff of his white pants.

"Oh? Still got some fight left in you after all?" Shirou asked mockingly and she grit her teeth in anger. Never in her life had she wanted to murder him so badly as she did right now. Even after all the things he had done, she usually understood his reasonings. Right now... she couldn't understand him at all and she didn't want to understand.

She struggled to her knees but just as she finally got to one her uncle's other foot swung out and struck her in the gut. She gave a ragged cough and collapsed back to the ground. Yet her grip on his pant-leg remained firm. She couldn't stay down. She wouldn't stay down.

Ruby needed her right now. If she went down, he would destroy her. Weiss would rather die than let him take another one of her team.

While still clinging to her uncle her other hand fumbled for the red canister on Myrtenaster. Her uncle may have been tough but even he wouldn't survive if she detonated the remaining flame dust she had left. True she would get swallowed in the explosion as well but if it was to protect Ruby… she would gladly make that call.

Fortunately for her, she never had to.

A pair of sneakers landed directly in front of her face, their appearance causing her to shriek and release the grip she had on her uncle's pant-leg.

 _Clang_

Metal struck metal as the owner of those sneakers crossed swords with her Uncle. She never got the chance to see who, someone else picking her up and the ground flew away as she was carried off from the immediate battle and right next to her partner.

"Weiss, Ruby. Are you two okay?" She recognized that voice... it was Blake! She turned to her black-haired teammate as she gently sat her on the ground next to Ruby.

"You... you're back!" She looked like she had fought an army of Grimm. Her clothes were littered in holes and stained with blood. Was she really okay? If she was just going by her expression alone then she would say she looked fine, confident even. What the heck had happened to her while she was gone?

Blake smiled at her and Ruby. "You two just focus on recovering until you're ready. Leave him to us for now." Us? Who was this us?

Ruby stumbled to her knees and Weiss turned to see her staring with wide-eyed disbelief ahead of them. She followed her gaze to see who it had been to save her from her uncle and was now engaging him in combat.

They landed on scraggly blonde hair and her expression immediately mirrored her partner's. There was just no way... it was impossible. Yet there he was.

He was covered in blood and not a small amount of it either. There was a big gaping hole in the back of his orange shirt. A welt was visible through his blond hair and a fresh pair of scars on his right forearm. But he was undoubtedly very much alive.

Jaune Arc was alive.

* * *

Yang grunted as she grabbed a Beowulf by the head and snapped its neck. She had run out of Dust shells just a few minutes ago and was really starting to feel the strain from not having them. It wasn't just her either and that was the more apparent problem.

All around her the other students were beginning to get sluggish as they continued to do battle against the never ending onslaught of Grimm that continued to descend into the canyon. Just how many hundreds of these damn things did they have to kill before they gave up already? Was that whistle really so damn annoying that they would risk utter annihilation to stop it?

An Ursa landed on the vine directly in front of her and she gave it a feral grin as it roared viciously. No rest for the weary she supposed and sprinted to meet it head on. It might not have been the best strategy given her current circumstances but she didn't know any other way to fight.

It swung one of its mighty claws at her and she met it halfway with a punch of her own. Her fist smashed into its paw and forced its whole arm to bend backwards at an unnatural angle. Fortunately, her Semblance was nearly in full effect right now so she didn't need her Dust shells. It was also draining her Aura really quickly. She couldn't fight like this for long.

The Ursa roared in pain and stumbled back. Milo then flew over her head in javelin form and speared the Grimm in the throat. It toppled backwards dead. "I totally had that one!" She groaned as Pyrrha ran past the side and pulled Milo from the corpse.

Her partner gave a short glare, having none of it. "You're fighting too reckless, Yang. I can't risk something happening-" Her breath hitched. "happening to you too." Yang grimaced. Pyrrha was clearly quite affected by what happened to Jaune down there. It seemed like she even blamed herself.

Yang couldn't say she understood, but then, she also hadn't been here.

"Pyrrha!" Sun's excited voice crackled through the champion's scroll and Yang turned to it questioningly. Her partner looked equally confused as she pulled it out and clicked the mic on.

"Sun? Are you okay?" She asked in hurried concern. Yang kind of doubted any Grimm had made it down that far. There were simply too many students up here for the Grimm to bother descending any lower. Had that nutty headmaster done something?

"He... he's back! Holy shit, I can't believe it!" Sun sounded like he was practically jumping around while talking. Yang arched her eyebrow as she met Pyrrha's eyes. They were filled with shock and trace amounts of hope.

"Back? What're you talking about?" Her voice quickened and breath became short.

"Jaune Arc! He's freaking alive and he's fighting that nutjob again!" No way. Yang couldn't believe it. Pyrrha didn't look like she could either as she collapsed to her knees and her scroll clattered onto the vine at their feet.

"Pyrrha!" She rushed to her partner's side and knelt down. Fortunately, there were no Grimm immediately on them as the rest of the students fended them off. "Hey, are you okay?"

"He... he's alive." Pyrrha choked out and she saw tears began to gather in the corner of her eyes.

For once, Yang didn't even know what to say. The elation on her partner spoke for itself and there wasn't anything to add. Besides, she didn't exactly get time to think on it when she heard - or rather felt - the force of something massive flap its wings.

She and everyone else tilted their heads to the sky to see something so absurdly large it temporarily blocked out the moon and cast them into darkness. "That... can't be good." Yang mumbled as she slowly got back to her feet.

Whatever it was, it was now descending down towards them and its shape was beginning to become much more clear. It was some sort of lizard-like Grimm with wings that spanned wider than the gap of the canyon. A long barbed tail swung behind it and it opened its serpent-like mouth to let out a roar so powerful it shook the very earth as it dive-bombed them.

"Grimm Dragon." Pyrrha whispered darkly as she also got back to her feet.

"What's the strategy, partner?" Yang shared a nervous glance with some of the other students as panic began to settle in. This Grimm rivaled the Chimera in size and if she had to guess, probably in power too. Ordinarily she figured they would be able to take it just fine with this many of them but this was hardly an ordinary circumstance.

They were all about spent on Dust ammunition which meant they couldn't hit it with ranged fire and there were still dozens of the smaller Grimm still flooding down on them at a time. Once this thing landed, all Hell was about to break loose. She normally preferred some excitement in life but this was starting to become a little ridiculous.

"I'm thinking." Pyrrha's grip on Milo and Akouo tightened as she stared up at the Dragon that was getting closer every second and Yang could practically hear the gears in her head as they whirled while trying to think of a plan. Once again the Dragon opened its mouth and an orange light flickered in the back of its throat.

"Whatever strategy you think you've got, I know I have a better one." Yang grabbed her partner by the elbow and yanked her towards the edge of the vine.

"W-what?" Pyrrha gasped in shock and struggled to keep up with her.

"Isn't it obvious?" Yang asked before sucking in as much air as she could so she could yell at the top of her lungs. "Everyone get the Hell down!" She jumped off the edge of their vine and pulled Pyrrha with her. They began to fall into the darkness of the canyon beneath them.

It didn't take the others more than a second to scurry after her once the Dragon released a powerful breath of fire that burned the entire top row of thorny vines.

"We've got no choice but to head to the bottom." Yang yelled as she landed in a crouch on another vine. Wild orange flames above them lit up the whole canyon and she could practically see all the way towards the ground level thanks to them. With a loud crash, the Dragon smashed into the burning vines and sent some of them tumbling down after them.

"What about the injured?" Despite Pyrrha's protest she began running down the vine they were standing on with the rest of them.

"There won't be any injured if that thing gets to us!" There would just be a whole lot of dead. Half of them her ass, if Shirou's game didn't end soon they were all going to die.

"Come on, Captain Atlas…" She mumbled under her breath.

He had made the impossible happen once by coming back from the dead.

Was it too much to ask for him to do it again?

* * *

 **Chapter End**

* * *

 **AN:** The Grimm Dragon was both in the original and wasn't. I wrote this whole thing before Volume Three aired and came up with my own Grimm that I called Wyvern and while it was aesthetically a little different, it was meant to be a Dragon. Now that the Grimm Dragon is a thing, I just changed it to be that.

Next time is the finale to this game of life or death.


	12. Endgame

Coeur Al'Aran was the beta for the original Auburn and helped me immensely during a period when we were both just getting started. Cover Art drawn by confections101 and a link to it is on my profile page. Jefardi is the one who finally kicked my butt into gear to do something about this story I had almost given up on.

* * *

 **Auburn**

 _Endgame_

* * *

" _Jaune, I recommend you dodge to the left."_ Charlotte's voice echoed inside of his head, somehow coming across nonchalant despite not having anything like an actual tone to the telepathic communication.

"Could you say that with more urgency!?" Jaune barely avoided having his head removed from his shoulders, having only reacted to the previous warning at the last possible second.

"W-what?" Shirou paused mid swing, just as taken aback by Jaune's sudden outburst as everyone else appeared to be.

"...Just. Nevermind." It wasn't like he could tell them he was yelling at his imaginary friend or anything. Well, he could, but that wouldn't be entirely accurate either. It was also about the next closest thing to the truth as he could get, really.

Instead he focused on the bastard in front of him, bringing up the cleaver end of Gambol Shroud and trying to hack Shirou's arm off with it. At the very least get the Scroll and stop the whistle. It shouldn't have been a surprise, but even when he managed to catch the headmaster off-guard, Shirou was quick enough to react and block the attack.

 _Clang_

Blade met blade and sparks flew from the connection. Blake appeared in the air up and behind Shirou, slicing down right for the back of his head. Without turning, he tilted his katana and caught that strike too.

Blake pulled on the ribbon that connected her weapon. Jaune did the same. The black cloth twirled and bent unnaturally, spiraling around Shirou's arm and snagging tight. Only to catch nothing at all, his arm no longer occupying that position.

Faster than either of them could track, Shirou had hopped back and placed several yards distance between them. It wasn't a victory per se, but Jaune grinned anyways. He hadn't been capable of making Shirou retreat at all during their previous bout so this was a definite improvement. Of course, having his partner who he actually knew how to fight with helped.

Too bad he didn't have Crocea Mors. According to Blake, Penny had it. It might have been possible for him to retreat and grab it but he didn't dare leave his team on this island with this psychopath. Besides, he still had his Aurora.

The problem there was, he didn't know how much longer he could actually use it. He'd lost enough blood at this point that even normal exertion was causing his vision to blur in and out. If he opened a wound to unleash his Semblance, it needed to be for the winning strike.

More that that… he was still frightened of it.

What if the memory he used for the Aurora made it go wild again and it did to Shirou the same thing it had to the Hydra? The guy was a bastard through and through, no one would argue that. But Jaune didn't want to kill him. He just wanted to break the scroll.

The even more terrifying thought was that it went for his team.

"You should go see Ruby and Weiss." Blake interrupted his thoughts, nodding behind them. Jaune glanced back to see his remaining two teammates still staring at him with wide-eyed disbelief. "I'll make sure the headmaster stays off your reunion. Just go."

Jaune nodded and tossed her the other end of Gambol Shroud. "Thanks, Blake." He was just going to have to trust her to know what she was doing. Taking a couple steps back, he allowed his partner to place herself between the two of them. Only once he was sure he wouldn't get stabbed in the back did he turn around. To nearly be bowled over as something hurtled into his gut like a rocket.

"Jaune!" Ruby cried as she wrapped her arms around his stomach and they spun around from the force of her tackle. He nearly tumbled backwards but just barely managed to keep his footing.

"What's up, Rubes?" He jostled her hair while attempting to ignore the fact that she about squeezing the life out of him.

"You're alive… you're actually alive." She clung to him even more tightly if that was possible and he couldn't help but smirk at her choice of words.

"Is that all anyone can say when they see me? You girls need to have a little more confidence in me." As he continued to rub her head gently he heard her give a quiet sob and his shirt began to grow damp from her tears.

"I thought you were going to leave me." Between her mumbling into his shirt and her sobs he could barely understand her. "I didn't want to lose you. Not like that. It was too much like how I lost-" Her voice trailed off, either unable or unwilling to finish that sentence.

"Hey, hey. I'm not going anywhere. I'm here to stay." He attempted to pull back but she only snuggled into him even more fiercely. So much for that.

"Do you promise?" Ruby finally asked.

He smiled. "Yeah, I promise."

The clicking of heels signaled his co-leader's approach, albeit she walked with a slight wobble. Still, it was impressive she was able to walk at all after what he had just seen her own uncle put her through.

She stopped just a couple paces away and fixed him with one of the coldest glares he had ever seen her give. "You're late." Was all she said and he had to fight the urge to burst out laughing.

Instead he restrained it to an amused smile. "I missed you too, Snow Angel."

"Moron." There was no hostility in her voice despite the fact that he used her hated nickname. It might not have seemed like much, but to him she might as well have done the same as Ruby. That was how much her actions spoke. "...I think your reappearance has thrown my uncle off." She nodded back to Shiou. "I don't think I've ever seen him make that expression. Or be quiet for this long."

"That so?" Jaune finally managed to disentangle himself from the younger girl and turned himself back towards the headmaster. Weiss was right, of course. In the brief time Jaune had known him, Shirou was acting different. More cautious.

Charlotte appeared seemingly out of thin air to his side. "His caution isn't much of a surprise. By all accounts, you should be dead. Not even he could anticipate you awakening your Semblance after you fell." Jaune had to bite his tongue to keep from responding out loud. Blake and the others were already worried about him enough as it was.

He instead called out to the headmaster. "What's the matter!?" Maybe he could shake him up further? "Ready to give up now that I'm back and ready for round two?"

Of course, he should have known better than to try and get to Shirou that way. The headmaster was the king of mind games as he already displayed and Jaune was terrible at them. So almost predictably, he got results exactly the opposite of what he wanted as Shirou started chuckling, placing his free hand over his eyes.

"More and more I like you, Mister Arc." Shirou's hand slowly slid down his face and his icy blue eyes were once again exposed. Instead of just the usual hatred, they were also filled with baited anticipation. "Do you have any idea how boring it is to have a Semblance where I can literally see everything that is going to happen before you even realize it yourself?"

That actually sounded really handy. He didn't think he would mind that at all.

"I'm forced to try and goad my opponents into extreme action just to get them to fight without thinking. It's the only way to cancel out my own Semblance. The only way for me to feel even the slightest bit of adrenaline." Which also explained why Shirou was so sadistic when fighting. Not that it was excuse for picking on kids in training.

Before Jaune or anyone could respond, the ground trembled and the bulbs of light above them shook. Their shadows danced and created an eerie, if slightly nauseating, effect. "Oh what now?" Jaune couldn't help but grumble. If it wasn't one thing it was another. Just above the white roots that acted as a ceiling was a bright flash of orange. Something was going on up there, that was for sure.

"You should look behind us." Charlotte pointed and he spun just in time to see the other students pouring into the bottom floor of the canyon. Had they… been forced to retreat down here? He saw Yang and Pyrrha mixed in amongst them and even from here the pure panic was apparent.

A moment later the stalks of the thorny vines collapsed to the canyon floor and ripped the root ceiling apart. The vines were ablaze in bright orange flame and the entirety of the canyon was cast aglow from the rapidly spreading fire. Before he could even wonder what caused all this destruction a giant reptilian-head stuck its head down to the surface and soon the rest of its massive body followed.

It completely obscured the other students from sight as it stood between them and reached its full height, letting out a massive roar. It tried to spread its wings but even as wide as the canyon was it couldn't possibly extend them all the way. Screams of terror echoed just over its roar and he really hoped that they were all fleeing from that monstrosity before them.

"Oh ho!" Shirou made an amused snort. "So it finally took the bait."

"You knew about this thing?" Weiss' jaw hung open, constantly glancing back and forth between her uncle and the massive lizard Grimm.

"Knew about him? You could say he's the main event." Shirou lifted his sword and pointed at it. "That Grimm was sleeping inside the top of Mountain Glenn itself. The whistle wasn't enough to drag it out, but combined with the sheer terror of you kids seems to have finally stirred it from its slumber."

Jaune's hands balled into fists and he whirled on the headmaster. "If the whole point of this was to drag that thing out, then we're done! Isn't that right? We don't have to fight anymore and can just go kill that thing before someone really does die."

"Hmm… if things had kept going as they were I think I would, but-" But?! What possible reason was there for him to not want to go save them right this damn second? "-I've finally come up against someone that is going to be interesting to fight. Besides, this is bound to give you some added incentive."

Jaune's teeth ground together so hard he felt like they might crack. "You can't be serious…" All he had done was survive. It wasn't like was seriously much stronger than before, at least Shirou shouldn't know that. He hadn't yet had an opportunity to show off Aurora.

"Still, you might be right." Shirou then said and Jaune was stupid enough to allow those words to fill him with hope only to lose it all a sentence later. "Let's see about making this last bout our last? Winner take all." The dial on his katana switched to the white Dust canister and Weiss make a startled gasp.

This… couldn't be good.

The whole sword began to glow bright white and he raised it high above his head before swinging at the ground right in front of his feet. Jaune wasn't exactly sure what he was expecting to happen but it certainly wasn't the pillar being ripped apart as blades of white light split from the point of impact. Auburn was so stupefied by what was happening that they didn't react until it was too late and the parts of earth they were standing on began to splinter apart and collapse beneath their very feet.

"You might want to do something in the next few seconds." Charlotte pointed out not so helpfully. He was really jealous of how nonchalant she got to say lines like that since she was already dead.

Too bad there wasn't exactly anything he could do as they all entered free fall. He didn't even get the chance to turn around before he once again began tumbling back to the hole he'd only just escaped from.

Fortunately, he didn't have to do anything as Weiss had him covered. A huge white Glyph that was easily the size of the surface of the pillar they had been fighting on appeared beneath them and he crashed right into it with an audible smack. Everyone else, of course, landed nimbly on their feet.

"We need a strategy, now!" Weiss snapped. She was almost definitely running low on Aura as it was and maintaining a glyph this large was guaranteed to drain that Aura pretty quick.

But how did Shirou manage to avoid falling? Jaune turned his attention above them to see he had created a small ledge of ice that clung to the wall. He stood on it and stared right back down at them. He really did intend for this to be the final stand.

"Jaune, what do we do?" Blake asked and only after did he realize all three of them were looking at him. They were waiting for his orders. In spite of everything, they were pinning their hopes all on him. He couldn't let his team down now.

Too bad he didn't have the slightest idea what to do. How could they possibly pull this off? It wasn't possible even if they had all the time in the world. Shirou was too far above them in skill. There was no way they could break… his… scroll.

That was it!

"I think I got it." Jaune reached into his back pocket and got to his feet. Without saying anything more he tossed his broken device to Blake. She caught it easily and all three of them looked at damaged technology. He hoped they would get it without him having to say anything. With Shirou's vision, he could probably just as easily lipread their strategy and they needed every edge they could get.

Blake's eyes widened first and the other two seemed to understand not even a second later.

"This… might work." Weiss gave her nod of approval. Looked like that was it then. This plan was officially a go.

"You guys get me the opening I need. I'll finish it." He touched the scar on his arm, feeling the blood coursing in his veins beneath it. What little he had left.

Ruby nor Weiss knew about his Aurora yet. To them it looked like he didn't even have a weapon. That didn't stop either of them from leaping into action without question. They understood as well as he did that the less said the better. Right now they just had to trust one another. So it was a good thing they did.

Weiss waved Myrtenaster in front of her and a series of Glyphs appeared above them at varying angles that they could use to propel themselves right at her uncle. Blake, Ruby, and Weiss all immediately jumped to one of them but Jaune hesitated for just a split second. He was never really good with heights and Weiss' Glyphs were about to propel him airborne with nothing but darkness beneath him if he missed or messed up.

Then again, what was he worried about? He had already survived that drop once. Still, better not test his luck and fall again. It wasn't likely he would survive it a second time. The sheer woozy feeling he got from lack of blood was a testament to that.

"You going?" Charlotte tilted her head, giving him an almost knowing smile. He bet she used to be afraid of heights too when she was alive. Must be nice being dead not having to worry about such mortal trivialities.

"Yeah, yeah." With a resigned sigh he jumped towards the nearest Glyph and felt his feet lock into it as the gear designs began to spin.

The Glyph ejected him off and sent him flying towards one several whole yards up. He barely managed to land on that one before it also locked him into place. A moment later and he was sent airborne again and flew over the top of Shirou and landed on a Glyph that was completely vertical.

This one too locked him in place or he would've slid right off it. His stomach lurched as he stared directly down into the darkness below. Weiss landed on one next to him and began pumping power into the one he was on.

Just to his left the Dragon let out another deafening roar as it sprayed fire from its open mouth. Hopefully no one had been caught by that blast. How many injured were there now? Had someone died yet? He felt sick just thinking someone had met their end to that thing.

No matter what they definitely had to end this now.

"You're only going to have one shot at this so you better make it count." Charlotte appeared out of nowhere on the same glyph he was on, somehow sitting on top of it.

" _I still don't even know what memory to use."_ Which he needed to figure out about thirty seconds ago. There simply wasn't enough time.

"Just use one that focuses on what you want. It's simple as that." What he wanted, huh? The only thing he wanted was to break that scroll. Could he use the memory of his breaking? No, he was unconscious when he fell so there was no memory there.

Would the one work of his and Shirou's first battle? He didn't see why not. The whole thing had been him single-mindedly trying to slash at the scroll with Crocea Mors. With nothing better to go off of, he chose that moment and focused in on that.

The whole scene reconstructed in his mind. This one was easier than the beach where the Chimera died. That one had happened almost two weeks ago whereas this one wasn't even hours before. He restored the pillar and placed himself, Shirou, and an uninjured Penny atop of it.

The weight of Crocea Mors felt good in his hand. It was a familiar weight, one he didn't appreciate until now. The fear of charging Shirou's sword and its still unknown abilities was palpable. Jaune charged him anyways, swinging his sword at the scroll, just as determined then as he was now to break it.

The Northern lights glowed above him in the memory, taking the place of the fluorescent bulbs that hung from the vines. The Aurora didn't belong there yet somehow felt natural. Like it was always there and he just never noticed until now.

The scar on his arm throbbed and ached. He could feel the wound tear open and blood dribbled out in a steady stream. He really did only have one shot at this. If he used Aurora for more than one strike he would bleed out. Now that he'd tapped into the power it was do or die.

He opened his eyes back to reality just as Blake begun her attack. This was it. If they made a single blunder or Shirou noticed what they were up to and it was all over.

The headmaster only had a small ledge of ice that he could move on so his options were pretty much limited to blocking their attacks and then countering. Knowing him, that was how he preferred it. He intended this to be the final move just as much as they did.

Blake attacked him from directly above and swung the now connected Gambol Shroud right towards the middle of his head. Shirou swung his katana up to meet her, the blade still glowing bright white.

A white energy slash phased through Gambol Shroud and flew right at her. She left behind a clone without even a full second to spare and flipped backwards. Just as she began to tumble beneath him she chucked Jaune's broken scroll up. He appeared not to notice the action as her ribbon also wrapped around his right wrist and yanked him forward, exposing his own scroll.

Ruby took her cue and vanished from her Glyph with nothing but floating rose petals to suggest she had ever been there. A second later and she appeared right in front of the ice ledge. His katana was held just above his scroll protectively but Ruby didn't even aim for it. Instead Crescent Rose swung and chopped Jaune's scroll in half, sending both pieces flying in front of Shirou's vision.

As the broken pieces flew past him, time seemed to crawl to a halt. His eyes widened and ever present smirk dropped. His sight danced between his right wrist where his scroll was and then back to the halved device. Crescent Rose continued to spin and caught his katana, deflecting it to the side. Blake gave another yank of her ribbon and his right arm was pulled further away from the sword's protection.

He was completely exposed and the truth of what happened hadn't settled in.

Jaune gave a bestial bellow. His legs tensed against the Glyph. The gears inscribed on it were spinning so intensely he could hear them humming. He kicked off and the whole world became a blur as he moved at faster than what should have been physically possible. He couldn't possibly change his trajectory now.

If he missed, they lost.

And if they lost, they were dead.

Then he just wouldn't miss.

Aurora poured from his scar. This time the energy didn't come out like ribbons but trailed along his forearm in a criss-crossing pattern that ended at his palm. From his palm came the handle of a sword. Then the Aurora took the very shape of Crocea Mors. Aside from being red, purple, and green, it was a perfect replica. Right down to the weight.

His arm holding the sword was completely outstretched in front of him and just as his vision began to come back into focus he felt it graze against something. Sparks flew beneath him and his eyes locked with Shirou's. They were alight with anger and the katana flew at Jaune's neck.

Oh shit! He couldn't dodge like this! He was about to get his head chopped off and there was nothing he could do about it. Just as he fully processed that thought he felt something grab the cuff around the back of his shirt.

Shirou's sword swung down and hit nothing but air as he vanished and reappeared on the canyon floor. He and whoever had saved him rolled for a couple yards before skidding to a stop. Only then did he let out a loud groan. His head ached from the whiplash that violent stop and go had just given him.

"Sorry…" Ruby grumbled from just next to him, evidently just as sore as he was. So it had been her that saved his life. "Did you get it?" She asked as they both began to sit up.

He shook his head. "I don't know."

" _Charlotte?"_ He switched to mental communication, calling to his predecessor. She crouched down behind him, peering over at his face from above. Only by biting his tongue did he keep from giving a startled yelp.

"Sorry." Charlotte shrugged and smiled not so guiltily. "You moved faster than I anticipated. Weiss' glyph was incredible. If you got his scroll, I didn't see it."

" _Why am I not surprised?"_ He was starting to notice a lot of similarities between this girl and himself. It was no wonder they both had the same Semblance.

Blake and Weiss landed next to them a moment later. It didn't look like they knew if he had succeeded or not either. They were still tensed for battle. And it was a good thing too, because Shirou landed in front of them all not a moment after.

He had squinted his eyes back closed, so Jaune couldn't look into this angry blue irises any longer. What's more, the sleeves of his coat were rolled down, obstructing the scroll. Had he got it or hadn't he?

Some part of him held out hope still. Shirou had sheathed his katana, so that meant he had no intention of fighting them, right? Apparently not.

The usual smirk was gone from his face, replaced now by a disgruntled frown and he took a threatening step forward, his intent clear. He was determined to fight and it looked like he was coming right for Jaune.

His team didn't hesitate. Blake and Weiss jumped into action first, being the two still standing. Gambol Shroud came down in a powerful slash. Myternaster jabbed from below so fast it was little more than a blur.

Neither weapon got close.

Shirou moved with impossible reflexes, or rather, he was already countering before they had even started. His left hand caught Myrtenaster by the dial, turning the weapon to intercept Gambol Shroud.

 _Clang_

The two weapons sparked off one another. Both girls tensed, muscles jarring from the unexpected contact. It was only for a moment, but in a battle that was all it took and Shirou didn't waste the opportunity. He twirled within Weiss' guard, sweeping a foot behind her ankle.

With a yelp, the Heiress spun two-hundred-seventy degrees and fell to her butt, rapier clattering to the side and outside her reach.

In the same motion, Shirou's elbow lashed out and caught Blake in the ribs. Her Aura still hadn't recovered from the Hydra fight and there was nothing to cushion the cruel blow. Spittle flew from her lips and a long string of drool rolled down her chin, their black-haired teammate collapsing to her knees. Her yellow eyes glazed over, looking to swing in and out of consciousness.

Jaune attempted to rise, only partially getting to his feet before the whole world blurred out of focus and spun on its axis. Oh shit! He thought he might throw up, the familiar nauseating feeling of motion sickness taking over.

There was nothing more he could do. He had simply lost too much blood and even just standing was almost impossible. That didn't mean he could just do nothing while Shriou thrashed his team either. So he tried again.

Ruby was quicker. She scrambled up and shoved him back onto his butt as she took a defensive stance in front of him. "I won't let you hurt him!" She twirled Crescent Rose as if to ward him off.

"Cute sentiment." Shirou said with a sarcastic bite. He was always, sarcastic, but this was different. Before, his words usually carried a blemish of cheer, so even while he was being facetious, there was never any malicious intent. This was devoid of anything like that, his nasally tone now gruff and nasty. He walked forward, unperturbed by the glimmering scythe, long white coat billowing behind him with each powerful stride.

Jaune tried to stand again, unwilling to allow their youngest teammate to fight this monster on her own. It was a mistake. Once again, his vision went out and he could only make out rough outlines of what was happening in front of him.

The red blur shifted and Ruby shouted. The white outline didn't make any noise, not even a grunt. Then the Red just fell over, Crescent Rose making a racket as the metal weapon clattered against the stone floor. "Ruby!" Jaune thought he might have shouted, but his voice came out hoarse and breathless. It was then he realized how hard he was panting, just struggling to take in enough oxygen to remain conscious.

 _Thud_

 _Thud_

Shirou's white boots seemed to echo with every step he took, the noise bouncing around inside his head as the terrifying, unstoppable, presence came to a stop just in front of him.

He had to move. He had to move. He had to move. He had to freaking move! Didn't his body get it? If he didn't move he was going to die.

Jaune screamed at his legs to do something. They couldn't possibly fail him now, not after all this bullshit. Had he really, truly failed at breaking that scroll? Had everything he done this whole night been for freaking nothing?

A shadow loomed over head.

His eyes jerked up, refocusing in on the pale hand that reached forward, fingers extended. Then what little oxygen his lungs were capable of sucking in was cut off. A strong, iron grip clenched around his throat and Jaune was lifted to his feet by a power not of his own.

Struggled choking grunts escaped his lips, the noises not anything in the realm of being recognizable as human. His vision returned when he was eye-level with Shirou's slanted gaze. To be that tall, Jaune knew his legs must have been dangling off the ground but he couldn't even tell.

Weakly, Jaune's arms came up and his hands gripped the sleeve of Shirou's right arm, the same arm holding him up and was squeezing the life from his already failing body. It wasn't anything like a final act of defiance. Rather, it was more just like his body doing the only thing it knew how any more.

Black closed in from all sides, swallowing his consciousness with a terrible, unstoppable approach. His grip weakened even more than it already was and as his hands began to fall they pulled back on the white sleeve. The cuff of the jacket rolled back and exposed Shirou's broken scroll.

Broken scroll.

It took Jaune's oxygen deprived brain several attempts to work the significance of that out.

Finally, it clicked and his lidded eyes widened, gaping mouth forming a condescending smirk. "I won." He didn't actually get to say this, only able to mouth the words. It was enough and with a terribly unsportsmanlike grunt, Shirou released his hold on Jaune's throat and the leader of Auburn collapsed back to his butt.

The black tendrils around the edge of his vision receded and he took in air like it was going out of style. Feeling even began to return to his legs in the form of a numb tingling sensation. It didn't bother him what form the feeling came back in, just glad to feel anything at all.

Shirou gave another grunt, as if to say he was more important than anything Jaune had going on and folded both arms in front of himself. "Yes, yes, yes. You broke my scroll. Do you want a medal?" He practically spat and turned to look at the wall.

"I don't want a medal…" Jaune spoke as quickly as his returning breath would allow. Which wasn't very. "...I want you to go put an end to this like you promised." There was a loud roar behind him followed by a crash. The Grimm Dragon was still wreaking havoc and as much as he hated to admit it, Shirou was the only one that could stop it.

The headmaster snorted. "I don't recall saying I would kill all the remaining Grimm just because you broke my scroll. I simply won't have the means to call anymore."

"Uncle!" Weiss snapped dryly. She had already gotten off her butt and was helping a still wobbly Blake to her feet. Ruby was back up, leaning on Crescent Rose like a crutch. "Quit pouting like a sore loser and clean up your mess!"

"..." Shirou turned to regard his niece for a couple seconds before lifting his nose to the air like a cat rejecting its food. "...No! If you want it done, figure it out yourselves."

How did he expect them to do that?! In case he hadn't noticed, none of them were exactly in any kind of fighting condition. If Jaune so much as tried to stand in the next immediate couple seconds he might really pass out. Blake was still running on zero Aura and the fact she had been capable of fighting at all after the Hydra practically tore her to shreds was a miracle.

The whole side of Weiss' face was bruised from when he'd slammed her on the ground and he wouldn't be surprised if she had a concussion. Not to mention her Aura must have been gone too after using so many glyphs. Ruby... it didn't even look like she had the strength left to pick up Crescent Rose, let alone swing that giant garden tool in an effort to kill a freaking dragon. Unless she had some mystical Grimm-slaying superpowers he didn't know about, he would say she wasn't going to contribute much.

He didn't know about how everyone else was doing, but he would be willing to bet the odds weren't exactly in their favor. They would have killed it already if that was a possibility. As it stood, they must all have been far too exhausted from the constant combat already to actually put up any kind of a real fight. Which was why the Grimm Dragon was advancing, possibly having already killed someone in its march of destruction.

And if Jaune was smart enough to know all this, than Shirou undoubtably knew it too.

"Uncle..." Weiss growled. "Kill. that. Dragon. Now!"

"...Fine!" Shirou threw his hands in the air after she had ordered him like one would a child. "I'll do it already. Geez..."

Jaune, Blake and Ruby all raised an eyebrow at the unusual display. Was he really that upset that he had lost? Jaune had never pegged him as the type of person that would throw a tantrum like a little brat when he didn't get his way. Now that he considered it, maybe it wasn't all that surprising, after all.

Shirou stalked past him, grumbling unintelligibly beneath his breath the whole way.

Jaune turned his head to follow him with his eyes and he caught Charlotte watching him with the same expression, eyebrows quirked and mouth half-agape like she was both simultaneously disgusted and enthralled. They both locked blue eyes with one another and shrugged.

Whatever, at least he was helping now.

This game was finally almost over.

* * *

Sun didn't know how much longer they could keep this up before someone finally died.

He and his team stayed behind to fend off the Grimm Dragon while Pyrrha and and the others attempted to drag everyone off. The redhead had been against it at first but her partner wouldn't let her near the monstrous Grimm. It was all the better, seeing as how exhausted she was. She had been fighting the longest and hardest of all of them.

For all the good it had done them.

Their injured had nearly doubled when those vines had collapsed all around them and they were pretty much restricted to a single narrow path to try and escape. Towering flames guaranteed they couldn't search for another route without getting cooked alive. Fortunately, the others had managed to put some distance between themselves and the Dragon now but that wasn't going to last long if Sun and his team bit it.

Which he really didn't see how this could end any other way. There was no way for them to do any serious damage to the damn thing. Scarlet and Neptune still had dust rounds available but neither of their ammunition so much as stunned the giant creature. Sun and Sage could only attack physically, Sun having run out of ammo and using his staff, Sage only having his giant claymore. Which was about as effective as the Dust was. In other words, not at all. The four of them were pretty quickly sent scampering, resorting to doing anything and everything to get in even a cheap shot.

"Damn this sucks." Sun landed in a heap. He had only just dodged a claw of the Grimm when it stomped down for the wind pressure alone to send him flying. By some miracle he hadn't gotten tossed into any flames or that would have been it then and there. His Aura was tanked so that wouldn't protect him anymore tonight.

"I'm never going to complain about water again." Neptune coughed and wheezed, stumbling through the smoke and nearly tripping over his leader. The normally stylish teen was covered in soot and dirt, his goggles pulled down just to see anymore.

"I don't think you're ever going to have anything to complain about ever again." Scarlet plopped down next to Sun, simply sitting with his legs crossed as if he had given up. Which didn't sound like a bad idea.

"Gah!" Sage bounced off the ground a couple yards ahead and skid to a stop just short of them. He attempted to push himself up but only got to his hands and knees when the Grimm Dragon stepped down behind him and in front of the rest of them. The whole Canyon tremored and Sage was sent collapsing face-first back into the dirt.

Sun would've fallen down too if he wasn't already sitting. Three pairs of eyes looked up into the red emptiness of the Dragon's glowing orbs. Yep, it was official. They were screwed. He really thought they might make it after Jaune came back from the dead too.

The Dragon's maw opened wide and it unleashed a bellowing roar. The wind pressure alone was nearly strong enough to send the team flying through the air. Smaller vines went whipping by and the flames contorted and danced.

In the midst of all this, was a flash of white.

The Dragon's roar stopped short. It continued to stare down at them, mouth wide and open as if it was still trying to roar and eyes fierce as ever. But there was a certain unnatural tint to it now. Like it was merely frozen in that position.

Then it happened. The head… just fell off. Right like that. One second it was attached to its neck, the next it was tumbling and rolling through the air. With a loud and wet smack it hit the floor and blood scattered in every conceivable direction.

If Sun thought the shock wave from the head hitting the ground was powerful, that was nothing compared to when the body followed. He thought for sure the walls of the canyon would crack and rocks would rain down on them any minute from the subsequent earthquake. Fortunately for them all, nothing like that happened.

They had survived.

And the Grimm Dragon was dead.

Just like that and someone had killed it.

"Honestly. You kids have so much to learn." There was no chance to relax, the headmaster's voice causing Sun to go more rigid than before. It was like the whole world was just trying to play one big prank on him. He survived against that Dragon only to now have to face him? A man who must have killed Jaune and the others just to get past.

"Next time just aim for the neck." Shirou Schnee practically sighed as he appeared from the smoke and flames. "Anything will die if you just cut off its head off." He wasn't injured at all and he wore the same cocky grin as always. "Anyways, now that I've taught you a valuable lesson in Grimm slaying, I say we just let bygones be bygones. Sound good?"

The roar of the flames around them was the only sound to be heard for several seconds as Sun and his team came to terms with what had just happened. First and most importantly, they had survived. Second and almost equally as crucial, the man that was behind this whole predicament was directly in front of them.

"...You bastard!" Sun forgot all about his previous battle fatigue and everything that happened in front of him just a moment ago. The only thing he saw or cared about was beating the ass of the guy responsible. It didn't matter how scary or unstoppable this guy was.

He was on his feet before he knew it and stalking forward with a single goal in mind. Somewhere in the back of his subconscious he realized his whole team had taken to striding along right next to him, even Sage who had been on the verge of passing out.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Only to all stop short when Jaune came sprinting around Shirou Schnee's back, hands waving frantically.

"J-Jaune… you're alive. Holy shit." Twice now he thought the kid had been killed and twice now he had been proven wrong. He was one tenacious bastard, that was for sure. And Sun couldn't be happier. They'd only shared a few sentences with one another but Jaune had literally saved his life against that Deathstalker and then gave them all hope when most had given up.

"Yes, yes, Mister Arc escaped with his life, we're all very surprised, but can we focus on that later? I need to borrow someone's Scroll. Mine has unfortunately been destroyed." Just like that, Shirou killed the moment as he asked possibly the most disturbing question Sun had ever heard.

"You must be joking." Sage practically spit, hefting his claymore up and glowering. Sun agreed with the sentiment, bringing his own weapon back to a ready position.

"Oh for crying out loud, we don't have time for this!" Weiss appeared next, followed closely by Blake and Ruby. The Heiress stomped up to Sun and snagged the device from his hip before the faunus could react.

"W-what're you doing?" Why was she taking his Scroll in particular?

"Only the leader's Scrolls are working." Blake answered as if she had read his mind. "Jaune broke his too so yours is going to have to do."

"Are you on guys on his side!?" Neptune stepped forward as if to take the scroll back but Weiss only rolled her eyes at them and handed the device to her Uncle before he could do anything definitive.

"Everyone just calm down! The game is over!" Jaune held his hands up, still trying to somehow maintain the peace for God knew what reason.

"How can you of all people defend him?" Scarlet gestured to the blond and his injuries. They weren't few either. He did not paint a pretty picture with a welt on his head, scar on his arm, hole in his shirt, and blood covering one pant leg completely. "Have you seen what he's done to you? You look like you died three different times!"

"To be fair, I've nearly died every encounter I've had since I started training to become a Huntsmen. I'm starting to think it's an occupational hazard." Jaune paused long enough to chuckle at his own joke. No one joined him. "Look, I'm not saying this test wasn't cruel and unusual but right now we need him to call us a flight back to Lambent. In case no one else has noticed, we're kind of trapped down here right now. You guys can file all the complaints you want when we get back."

Reluctantly - very reluctantly - Sun decided to listen to reason and took a step back, stance going lax and shoulders sagging. He was tired and wanted to go home. If working with this bastard was the solution to that, then he would do his best not to strangle him.

"Help is officially on the way. You can all thank me now." Shirou gave a deep bow before tossing the scroll back to Weiss. Sun's eye twitched and he had to repeat to himself to stand down and just let it slide an additional three times before he really felt like he was able to believe it.

"Ren and Nora?" Ruby asked, suddenly next to him. The last she had seen either of them she had dumped them with him and Neptune to be patched up.

That was right. The others didn't know everything was over yet. "They're both fine. Everyone is alive, at least, they all were last we knew." Sun turned to his partner. "Neptune, take her to the others and let them know it's over and that we're going home."

"Got'cha." Neptune and Ruby took off and after only several yards disappeared into the smoke and flames. Even with the Dragon gone, most of its body already disintegrated, the results of its rampage didn't let up one bit. Sun really hoped the ship could get them in all this.

"While we wait for our ship to arrive, does anyone want to play a game? I think I got a deck of cards somewhere." Shirou talked nonchalantly as he patted around his coat in search of those cards.

Everyone left glared at him so maliciously, it actually looked like they might jump him again, truce or whatever it was keeping them back be damned. "He's joking! I'm sure he's joking!" Everyone not Jaune, anyways, who immediately got in between them and Shirou again.

"No, I seriously think I have a deck of cards somewhere." Jaune's head and arms fell as Shirou continued to make matters worse.

"I'm trying to prevent a mutiny here." He whispered at him through grit teeth.

"Oh you're no fun."

"You've had plenty of fun today at our expense already!"

Sun didn't care anymore. He wanted to wring the headmaster's neck but it was too much effort. He also wanted to know why Jaune was so adamantly defending him but doubted he would understand the answer even if he told him. So he was done.

They had all survived... and right now that was all that really mattered.

* * *

 **Chapter End**

* * *

 **AN:** So the final battle against Shirou was a little shorter than the original.

To make up for that, I did extend the part after they broke the scroll. Coeur had originally suggested in the first version that I draw out the reveal and play on the doubts of whether or not they broke the scroll a little longer, but I didn't have a good idea for how to properly do that at the time. I'm actually kind of proud with the way it turned out now that I've finally listened to his advice, just years later.

All in all, this was the most rewritten chapter yet and that feels right that it should be just before the end.

Next time is the epilogue.


	13. Epilogue

Coeur Al'Aran was the beta for the original Auburn and helped me immensely during a period when we were both just getting started. Cover Art drawn by confections101 and a link to it is on my profile page. Jefardi is the one who finally kicked my butt into gear to do something about this story I had almost given up on.

* * *

 **Auburn**

 _Epilogue_

* * *

Jaune had no idea a hot shower could feel so damn good.

It felt like it had been forever since he felt the nice warm stream of a shower as it washed away everything. Not just blood, sweat, and grime, but fatigue as well. Razor Canyon was finally over and he had by some miracle survived the whole thing.

Jaune thought about the previous events idly while running his hand over his numerous new scars. His arm, stomach, back, and head all had marks that were probably permanent. The new Aurora power healed them well enough, but not even that was capable of making him good as new. Nor did it remove the aches.

He still saw doubles of everything if he tried to move too quickly. An effect of having lost so much blood tonight. So he was forced to take everything slow, which was why he was now in the public shower area on the sixth floor by himself. The other guys had come and gone before he was able to make it down here.

Still, this was kind of nice. He appreciated the quiet and was able to just enjoy the shower this way. The heat dulled his senses and addled his mind, yet in the far back he couldn't help but feel like he was forgetting something important.

Or maybe it was someone?

"Oh… so this is the male anatomy."

"Why!?" He gave a feminine yell, full of indignity, jumping nearly a foot in the air at the unexpected voice that came from directly beneath him. "Charlotte!" He covered his modest parts, glaring at the blonde girl who had been crouched in front of him, eyes at waist-level.

"That was a bit of an overreaction, don't you think?" Despite being crouched right in the stream of water, she didn't get the least bit drenched as it phased through her and rained on the tiled floor.

"No. No I do not." He continued to hold both hands over his crotch, face no longer red from just the heat of the water. Seriously, this was ridiculous. He couldn't even shower in peace anymore?

"You're the one who remembered me just now. As long as I exist in your thoughts, I can appear." She grinned coyly, blue eyes tilting up to meet his. He wasn't sure what expression they held, but whatever it was, it made him uncomfortable.

"It's not like I was trying to summon you into the shower with me..." He inched forward, stepping his legs back into the water. To his growing discomfort she made no move to put further space between them.

"You expected me to just be there at your beck and call whenever you wanted? But to disappear whenever you didn't?" Well sure, it sounded bad when she put it that way. It wasn't like he had an exact image in his head of how this was supposed to play out.

"You know that's not what I meant. However, I would appreciate some… personal space." At the very least, would it kill her to stand up?

"Why? Most guys would be kind of envious of this situation, you know?" It was hard to deny that she was one of the most beautiful woman he had ever met, and she didn't exactly look very dead, or even undead for that matter. Just a normal girl together in the shower with him.

Charlotte gave a small giggle as she finally stood up and stepped away from him. "I'm just giving you a hard time. Possibly figuratively and literally." The more this girl talked and the more she shattered the image of some wise prophet he originally had of her in his mind.

She suddenly tilted her head suddenly and leaned an ear towards the exit. "Someone is waiting for you outside. It's better if you quit responding to me out loud for now." He turned to look, but couldn't see anyone. How she heard anything going on outside he had no idea, but he was at least grateful for the heads up.

His team already thought he was talking to someone who wasn't there. Which to be fair, Charlotte kind of wasn't. But she was real, dammit. He just couldn't prove it to anyone but himself.

When he turned back, she was gone. Where exactly did she go when not within his line of sight? She was linked to his consciousness so it was impossible for her to go far. He supposed he could always just ask later, and for now just be grateful that he could shower without her staring.

He wasn't sure how much longer he stood in the hot stream of water before finally hitting the dial. Whoever it was Charlotte thought she heard never came in after him, so he started to think maybe no one was ever there at all.

Getting dressed, he put on a spare pair of jeans and the hoodie that Penny had returned to him. He hadn't actually seen her since the fall, but she'd asked Ruby to pass it on. Without his armor, which had been lost in all the confusion, Pumpkin Pete was completely exposed but he didn't much mind.

"About damn time." Jaune jumped at the unexpected voice of Professor Qrow. The normally staggering drunk was leaned against the wall just next to the exit, one foot pushed up against the wall and knee bent at an angle. With his arms crossed, he glared at Jaune and glanced around the doorway to look back inside. "Who were you talking to in there?"

"Just myself." Jaune lied, perhaps a too quickly, Qrow cocking an eyebrow suspiciously. It didn't matter how much he looked, however, it wasn't like he would find anyone Jaune could've possibly been talking to. Unless he could see dead people.

"Well, whatever." Apparently he decided it wasn't worth the trouble and just shrugged. "You and I gotta talk."

"I'll say." Jaune couldn't agree more. "Where the heck were _you_ when Shirou Schnee was putting us through that game from hell of his?"

"If you must know, sleeping." Qrow said. After Jaune failed to respond, he let out a soft chuckle and shook his head. "Don't glare at me like that kid, I'm kidding. Kind of."

"Did you know?" Jaune reiterated. He didn't care what Qrow was doing, what mattered was if he agreed to have them put through that and didn't even warn them.

"No." This time Qrow was deathly seriously. The tension in Jaune's shoulders relaxed, but only a little. The older man then pulled out his flask, but didn't bother taking a drink from it. Instead he just turned it over in his hand slowly while looking ahead at nothing. "Shirou's always been a little… unstable. But I never imagined he would pull a stunt like this for a game."

"Dammit." Jaune cursed under his breath, not able to comprehend any of it. "So happens now?"

"Now? The world keeps right on spinning." Qrow made a vague circular motion with his flask. "As far as what happens to Shirou. Well, he's gonna keep right on running this place."

Jaune knew he was going to regret it, but he had to ask. "And for me?"

In response to that question, Qrow pulled out a scroll and handed it to him. "Your mission was a success. Good job, kid." He winked.

"...What?" Jaune blinked in disbelief and took the scroll. When powered on, it was already registered in his name and there was an incredible amount of GKP loaded to the account. He looked between it and the professor several times, trying to connect the dots and failing. "But I didn't even get the chance to do anything."

"Not true at all." Qrow thumped him on the shoulder. "You played a game against Shirou with his rules. And you beat him at it."

"...Which changes things _how_ exactly?" Jaune had a sinking feeling that he'd been manipulated like a good little chess piece.

"As you kind of noticed, Shirou likes his games." Yeah, he had noticed alright. "So we played a game with him. From the beginning, he knew someone from one of the schools was our designated agent, but he didn't know who it was or from which school they would be. The game's first rule was that he had to properly guess who and well… that part he got right."

"He really did know it was me all along." The blond dropped his head into both hands. No wonder he had taken such an interest in him. Jaune thought it had been unusual. And here Shirou had actually tricked him into thinking it was because they were somehow similar.

"Then in a match of his choosing against you, he had to win." Qrow continued despite Jaune's interruption. "Again, we never imagined that the match would be something like what he pulled tonight, but like I said: He's always been a little unstable."

A little unstable. If that was what he wanted to call it, sure.

"So what exactly were the stakes in this game?" He at least wanted to know what it was he had been used for. What he had almost died for.

Qrow gave a smile that told Jaune he would not be answering that question. In fact, it appeared that he was done answering questions entirely as he pushed off the wall and made his way towards the elevator. "I'll see you in class, kid, provided we're still doing that sort of thing once this all blows over."

"Class… yeah, okay." Jaune could only grumble to himself and stare at his new scroll. It was almost impossible to think about doing something normal like going to class after everything he had been through these past two weeks. Normal sounded nice at least. He pocketed the scroll and turned to follow the drunk to the elevator, arriving several seconds after Qrow would've boarded and then had to wait for it to come back.

 _Ding_

With a chime, it arrived not too long after and when the door opened, Charlotte was somehow standing inside. "Seriously, how do you do that?" He couldn't even bother to be surprised anymore.

"It's surprisingly not all that difficult." She smiled, placing both hands behind her back and leaning forward. "Since you have a memory of the elevator interior, it more or less just let me do it." Knowing the limits of what Charlotte could do would be beneficial if he ever had to scout ahead. Although it sounded like he had to have been to the area before for it to be effective. Or something. He'd let her work out the details.

"So where we going now?" She asked. "Bed?" That didn't sound like a bad option and it would probably be his next stop.

"Food first. I'm starving." He selected the sixth floor and waited for the doors to close before glancing at her. "What do you think about all that stuff Qrow said?"

"Honestly?" The question must have been rhetorical because she didn't pause long enough for him to give a sarcastic quip. "I think they used you because you were expendable. They could already prove you were a cheat because of the transcripts. So if you got caught and lost, they just had to point out the forgery to make that game null and then try a different tactic."

He was afraid of just that. "And of course no one was going to believe my side of the story over theirs. I'd already be an established liar. If I was even still alive."

"Pretty much, yeah." She didn't disagree.

What a terrifying thought.

"Although," She suddenly added, placing a hand on her chin as if she just thought of something. "The type of game Shirou Schnee decided on didn't really make much sense. It would have, if he didn't know it was you, but supposedly he did. So why do a game where you have backup? And why one where you would be extra motivated to not lose?"

He hadn't considered any of that. Why _would_ Shirou do it that way? It was anything but a fair game, but the facts stood that it _had_ been a doable one. "I don't know, why?"

"It's just food for thought." Charlotte shrugged. "I don't know the answer either, but it's something worth thinking about."

The elevator shifted to a stop. Oh well, he could think about it later. It was time to get actual food first and then get some well deserved sleep. At least, that was what the game plan was supposed to be.

That changed the moment he stepped out from the elevator and the eye of every single student at Lambent turned to look at him. Awkward silence settled over the entire area as they waited for him to say or do something and he waited for the same. It was unsettling, really, and Jaune kind of wanted to turn around and run back into the elevator.

The only reason he didn't was he was too afraid that if he moved he would set off a chain reaction that he did not want to get swept up in. So without turning his head, he tried to look sideways and at Charlotte. Only to find her nowhere within sight. Traitor! They couldn't even see her so why did she run?

That wasn't fair, he wanted to run too.

"Jaune! You're finally here man!" Unfortunately for him, Sun had other ideas as his head poked out from among the crowd and eagerly waved him over. That was all it took for the floodgates to burst and suddenly every other student was clamoring over one another as they rushed forward to greet him

At that very moment, Jaune wasn't sure what was more terrifying. The Grimm or all these students his age.

"Jaune! We heard about how you killed that Deathstalker!"

"Is it true a Cackler stabbed you right through the heart?"

"How did you manage to break that bastard's scroll?"

He was bombarded by questions as everyone attempted to push past one another and got a little more than too close for comfort. What the Hell had happened to them? They seemed to think he had somehow been solely responsible for their victory as they all fought for his attention. It had been uncomfortable enough last night when it was just the leaders praising him, this was just downright unbearable.

"Hey, hey, hey! Give the man some room, you psychos!" Sun battered his way to the front of the group and stepped forward and grabbed Jaune by the elbow. "Come on man, I got your back. Besides, there is someone you gotta meet." He pulled Jaune forward and freed him from the nearest students' grasp to Jaune's immediate relief.

"Thanks, Sun. I owe you." He had this guy pegged all wrong, thinking he was only using him for popularity or something.

The crowd parted as Sun led Jaune past, almost forming a pathway just for them as they did. Just as they reached the last couple of students to make way for them, someone Jaune hadn't seen since he had fallen off that cliff was revealed: A girl with a pink bow placed atop her head.

"Penny."

Jaune stopped short as he stared at the girl that was now standing directly in front of him. Sun gave a small smirk as he stepped to the side and gave the two of them some space. The once clamouring students quieted down almost immediately as Jaune and Penny stared at one another, neither one saying a word.

He was glad to see that she looked fine now and it appeared like her injury was healed. How was that even possible? Did her Aura work on robot parts or was there someone here capable of repairing her? He was curious but it probably wasn't a good idea to ask seeing as he was the only one to know her secret.

Penny took a small step closer to him, giving a warm smile as she did. "Salutations, Jaune." For once, it wasn't her usually over-exuberant tone but just a normal speaking level she greeted him with. She took another step forward and reached her hand forward, placing it right over where the hole in his shirt had been earlier tonight. "You… threw away your life for me." She spoke quietly, probably so the others couldn't hear her as she talked. "Even knowing what I am, you sacrificed yourself for me without hesitation."

Jaune gave her his most reassuring smile. "You and I are friends Penny, nothing changed that. I told you as much already."

Penny's small smile became much bigger and she gave a much more enthusiastic nod this time. "I am just most glad to see you alive. I now have the opportunity to repay you for saving my life."

Jaune tilted his head in confusion. "You don't have to repay me Penny, I did it because I wanted to." Penny sent a quick glance to Sun and out of the corner of his eye he could see the faunus motion her to continue. Uh oh, this likely couldn't end well. Just what the heck was this guy teaching her?

"In that case, I am doing this because I want to, Jaune. I understand it is customary for a normal girl to thank a man in this fashion." She took one step closer and was now directly in front of him. Warning bells went off inside his head but it was far too late for him to react as Penny's hands wrapped around the back of his head and pulled his face forward as she leaned in to meet him halfway…

...and kissed him in front of everyone.

His brain kicked into overdrive as all his senses immediately went on high alert as it attempted to process as much information it could as quickly as possible. The very first thing he noticed… Penny's lips were surprising warm for a robot's. What was her fake flesh made of exactly? Nevermind that last thought. He had much more pressing things to worry about. For starters, all the whistles, cheers, and catcalls that were being directed his way as everyone's excitement levels immediately peaked. He saw several bright flashes as people undoubtedly took pictures of them.

Out of the corner of his eye he could also see Sun giving him a huge thumbs-up along with a big wink. He took back what he thought about him earlier, he really didn't want this guy's help with anything anymore. Did he have any idea how long it was going to take to clear up this misunderstanding?

Finally, Penny ended the kiss and took a step away from him. Her face was only slightly flushed while he had no doubt his was beet-red. He opened and closed his mouth as he tried and failed to form even a broken thought, seeing as anything coherent was clearly out the window. He had just received his second kiss from a girl and this one had been very, very public.

"Uhh… Penny?" He finally managed to get his mouth to work but the words felt weird as they passed his still warm lips.

"Yes Jaune?" Penny tilted her head with all the innocence of a child as she responded to him.

"Do you have any idea what it actually means for a girl to kiss a guy...like that?" He gestured vaguely between the two of them as he asked. This was very crucial, what if Penny actually knew that as far as everyone else was concerned she just confessed to him? In public no less. Penny clearly had feelings and emotions but he had no idea if she understood anything about how love worked, not that he exactly had a firm grasp on it either. Could he even date a robot to begin with? Not that he wanted to, but hypothetically, how would that even work?

Penny nodded happily to his question. "Of course I do. It is the ultimate sign of gratitude between friends!" He had to stop himself from smacking his own face. Dammit Sun, this was all his fault. The problem was, Penny wasn't exactly wrong either, although that kiss had been a bit extreme for just saying thank you. Of course, everything Penny did tended to be extreme. How was he even supposed to explain it properly? If he didn't figure it out quickly, the damage was going to become permanent.

"Let's give it up for-" Oh God dammit Sun. "-Lambent's strongest pair who both bravely risked their lives for all of us against that crazy bastard!" Sun grabbed both of them by the wrists and hoisted their hands into the air like they had just won some kind of grand championship.

It had the desired effect that as cries of gratitude and congratulations rained down upon them. Penny gave a bright smile, clearly oblivious to what they were being congratulated on while he could only try not to sink into the floor and vanish.

At the same time, there was a strange sensation of elation bubbling inside him. He was… being acknowledged. Maybe some of it was for the wrong things, but he had worked his ass off tonight to save them all. So was it really so bad to get a little rewarded for once in his life?

Amidst the crowd, he could see his team clapping for him too. They were a little more subdued than the rest and all three of them had knowing smirks, but all the same they were playing along. He wanted to break away and go up to them. But for now, he thought it wouldn't be too bad to bask in the limelight a little while longer.

Perhaps his life here wasn't going to be too bad, after all?

* * *

 **End**

* * *

 **AN:** And that's pretty much it.

I told the story I wanted with the conclusion to Razor Canyon. Aside from a few loose ends which needed tying up, I didn't have any desire to expand beyond that. There's plenty of places the story could go from here, adventures to have, and room for characters to grow. If anything, this is more of a prologue to all that. Which is all I wanted from it, in the end. There are a couple things I did kind of want to add and that were in the original, but there will always be other opportunities. Might not make most of you happy, but I reached what felt like the natural conclusion for what I started with.

This chapter is actually kind of funny in it's a bit of a mash-up from two chapters from the previous version. The beginning scene actually happens much later in that story. The scene with Qrow was like a revised version of a different scene somewhere around the middle and then the end was edited just enough to fit in with everything else that had been changed.

Originally I had a section of this that was quite a bit longer, but I thought that battle was superfluous and didn't add anything so I removed it, even if it was kind of cool. I think I almost wrote it as an apology for not really adding much new to this rewrite, but now the original version is back up. If I write a sequel, it will end up in there for sure as I do want to do a scene where both Auburns fight together. This outcome leaves me plenty of room to go from here so if I ever do decide to continue with it and if I come up with a good enough plot and decide on the way I want my characters to grow, I will. Although it will likely be as a separate sequel fic.


End file.
